The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-07
From the New York Sun.


From the New York Sun.
Lieut.. Kupp of the Eighty-eighth
Pennsylvania Volunteers was captured
with many of his regiment, at Gettys-
burg. He was known as a Pennsyl-
vania Dutchman and he came from
Berks county, where German colonists
settled nearly two centuries ago and
where their descendants cling to the
old customs and the mother tongue
even unto this day.
AS 1t was summer at the time of
Gettysburg, the men captured in that
battle We're in light attire, and the long
journey down to Richmond and the
wear and tear on their thin blouses
reduced them to rags, and this Penn
sylvania Lieutenant seemed to be the
most ragged of all.
Kupp was considerably over six feet
in height, lank, long limbed, and in
clined to be round shouldered. He was
about "a years old, and the gray eyes,
long, dark hair, and fuZZ-covered face
gave him the appearance of a North
Carolina mountaineer. His comrades
jokingly called him "the tar heel" but
he took it good naturedly. The re-
semblance was much in his favor when
he made up his mind TO leave Libby,
and, to use his own language, make
a bee line for Gods land" as the pris-
oners called the North.
The two subjects that engrossed the
minds of the men were exchange and
escape. Nearly every day the repo,
spread that the exchange cartel mad
been resumed, and that the men were
to be sent North under flag of truce
within twenty-four hours. On such
occasions groups of excited men would
rush through the six divisions of the
dark, dreary old warehouse, shouting
frantically:
Pack up Pack up! All exchanged!
IIurrah for Gods landw
NOT DISAPPOINTED.
Constant disappointment failed to
lessen these rumOrs, nor did il weaken
the hopes of the men who heard them.
Perhaps Kupp was an exception, for he
never got excited was never stirred
from his stolid bearing by the cry of
Pack 'lp!" II have nothing to pack"
he would say with a grim smile. and
without raising his eyes from the bit
of yellow bone he was trying to carve
into crucifiX with a broken jack
knife.
Plans for escaping We're daring and
innumerable. Nearly all were imprac-
tical, yet, unknown to their comrades,
twenty-five men, pledged to secrecy,
were at this time digging in the dark
ness the great tunnel through which
subsequently 10 men escaped.
when l get good and ready I'm GO
ing to light out"
This Kupp would say to the men un-
folding their schemes about him, but
as he refused to tell how he proposed
getting away he was laughed at and
left to his bone carving.
Just before Christmas the Confeder-
ate authorities, who had refused to re-
ceive supplies for the prisoners from
the United States government, per-
mitted frien Is in the North to send
down a LITTLE food and clothing under
flag of truce Uniforms were contra
band, so that . Il the clothes that came
through were of the citizen style and
material.
Lieutenant Kupp received a huge
box, full of hams, sausages, preserves,
cheese, and other good things from the
old farm, but neither the memory of
past hunger nor fear of the future pre-
vented his inviting the men who had
no boxes to help themselves. OF all
the things in the big box, the one that
most delighted Kupps soul was a suit
of butternut clothes, evidently of home
manufacture, even to the CLOTH
The lieutenant soon "shucked" his
blue rags and donned the new suit.
Thus attired, he strode up and down
the upper Potomac ROOM" a hunk of
bread in one hand and a chunk of ham
in the other, while his laughing COM
panions demanded to know when he
left North Caliny."
Hit don't mattah we'en I left" re-
sponded Kupp, with an inimitable
mountaineer drawl, "the thing that's
a-botherin' me now is we'en an how
lie gwine ter git back"
nIS PLAN FORMED.
As old soldiers will remember, the
uniforms of the Confederates were any
thing but uniform at about this time.
The citizen clothing was put aside at
the beginning of the war was sent
to the front from home, though gray
hat, gray trousers, or a gray coat had
been retained whenever possible. Hun
dreds of Confederates in "butternuts"
passed the prison along Carey street
every day, and many of the guards
about Libby, and those who came in
every morning to count the prisoners,
We're dressed in the same material.
This prison roll call at this time was
more expeditions than efficient. Every
morning, in the gray, cold dawn of that
bitterly cold winter, the Yankees were
routed from the upper Potomac, or up
per east room-the latter was the name
given it by the ConfedeTates. Through
an opening in the wall the men were
counted into the upper Chickamauga, or
upper middle room, where they were
free to do as they pleased within the
prescribed limits. The men at the head
of the line, and they were usually the
ones who had something to cook, made
a swift rush to the lower middle room,
where there were four old-fashioned
rusty kitchen stoves.
When the count was over and no Yam
kee reported missing, the guards filed
down to the west ground floor room,
where "Black George" the sergeant,
and the prison clerk, Little Ross" re-
ported to Major Turner, commandant
of the prison.
One morning. it was early in Janu-
AIRY, ga, and about ten days after he
had received the clothing from home,
it was noticed that Kupp, who was usu-
ally among the first counted was the
very last, to the rear, and on this occa-
sion was the very last.
When Kupp came into the upper
Chickamauga room, the guard was
forming to go. Selling the hand Of
Captain Mas of his own regiment, who
otnnd innnr u h,r thn L innnHn ...l -.