The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-01-04
BLUE AND THE GRAY
BRAVE MEN WHO MET ON THE
FIELD Of BATTLE
Thrilling Stories Of the Rebellion
Old Soldiezrs and Sailors Relate Remis
absences Of Life in Camp and ON
the Field -Incidents Of the War.

niscences Of Life In Camp and ON
the sField-Incidents Of the War.
I'm 1865" said the Doctor, Il was n
frequent visitor to the Ohio peniten-
tiary at Columbus. This was after
John Morgan had made his escape from
n cell in the interior prison, and while
there We're thousands of rebel prisoners
confined at Camp Chase, four or five
miles distant. There were still in the
penitentiary hundred or more political
prisoners. including men under suspi-
cion as we'll as men under sentence,
men arrested as spies, as go-betweens,
as guerrillas. and as plotters against
the government. hailing from nearly
every Western State. Some of these
were desperate characters, and others
were men of high standing in their
home communities. Some were alert
adventurers. full of intrigue and plot,
even In prison, and others were person
ally clean and unobtruslve men from
the country districts. greatly distressed
V'SA thSAA Will luc ISChleSS
dare-devils who were herded with
them.
There had just been an execution at
Camp Chase, in which two men, who,
in resisting the draft, had killed Uni
ted States marshal and his deputies,
had paid the extreme penalty. The re-
port OF the hanging had reached the
political prisoners in the penitentiary,
and as 1t was taken to mean that the
government under Johnson was not in
clined to be very merciful, there were
excitement and depression. Many of
the political prisoners were in a large
exercise room in one Of the wings, and
As the chaplain and myself entered It
was evident that the prisoners believed
that we had come on no pleasant er-
rand.
The scene was strange one. even
to man who had just come from the
front. Half a hundred men, all clad in
the striped gray and black prison uni
forms. were walking restlessly this way
and that across the floor of the long
hall or were lOunging on chairs along
the sides. Some Of those who were
walking moved like Gagged animals;
others with an airy easiness of a we'll
tO-do citizen out for exercise. I was
startled and embarrassed by recogniz-
Ing among the walkers man who had
served in my own company and had
deserted In 1862. I was so absorbed
In speculations as to what brought this
fellow to the penitentiary that I did
not notice the approach Of a tall, digni-
fed. middle-aged man, who spoke in
sistently TO the chaplain.
Il noticed that the chaplain listened
to him with sort Of Difference. but
that there came to his face as he lis
tened a smiling look OF dissent. AS he
moved away the chaplain said: That
Is l.. p. Milligan, who was sentenced
to be hanged. but who is here as a
prisoner for life. He Is one Of the best
posted men have ever met. and he is
constantly at work on what he calls the
legal side Of his case Scarcely were
the words out Of the chaplain's mouth
when Milligan came forward again and
ss:id respectfully that he hoped the
chaplain would convey his message to
the warden, and that he would be per-
mitted to communicate with the law
yers who were representing the govern
ment
Turning, l came face to face with
one OF the handsomast men had ever
seen. He lifted his little prison cap
SO gracefully and with an air of such
finished courtesy asked In pantomime
my pardon for being In my way that I
became exceedingly interested. ask
ed permission to speak, and to my ques-
tion as to why he was there he said,
easily, Because our Uncle Samuel is a
very particular old gentleman. He re-
CARDS me with suspicion because some
OF his OverzealOus agents think that
exhibited too much curiosity as to
camps and Notifications and military
movements. but assure you, sir, that
Uncle Sam and his minions are mis-
taken. am as harmless as I am philo- |
sophical.'
"Milligan regarded this man with evil
dent disapprOval. He was In earnest. |
and be did not want to be associated
with spies or with adventurers. The |
suspected spy walked away with a
military step. while Milligan |
walked away with the absorbed man.
ner of lawyer studying an important |
case. The chaplain explained that Mil |
l:gan was probably the most extraor-
binary man in the crowd, and that he
was fretting his life out of him. Then
with a smile he said that he would
show me Milligan's partner. We went
from the exercise row through the long
corridors to the cooking department.
through the large kitchen to an outside
room, where sat an elderly man pairing
potatoes.
unlike Milligan. the potatoe-peeler's
face Nis serenity ITSELF He looked like
4 maj. Who had himself under good dis
cipllne. and who was accepting the situ-
alton. This was Judge w. A. Bowles,
who vas sentenced with Mllligan to be
hanged, and whose sentence was after
ward cOmmuted to Imprisonment for
life. There was no prison rule that
him to do any sort Of work,
but lie asked for employment. and was
letailcd to peel potatoes, and do such
,ther work as he cared to do in the
cooking department Of the kitchen. He
oOk kindly to the potato business, OBJ
serving all the time his judicial eoua-
llmity and giving visitors who came to
ook pityingly at him no attention what
ever.
"a few months after this there was
,reat commOtion in Columbus. MiIli-
,an and BOwles were taken from the
in carriage to one Of the
ocal cOurtroOms. Both were In citi-
ems dress, and as soon rs Miiligan en-
cred the courtroom he was the lawyer
instead Of the prisoner He had ex-
,ectcd to present an argument In his
,wn behalf, but the Judge interrupted
he proceedings by announcing that an
rider had come from Washington for