The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-20
IN MEMORY OF Lee
ANNIVERSARY EXERCISES HELD AT
CONFEDERATE HALL.
VETERANS WERE THE HOSTS.
DAUGHTERS OF CoNFEDERACY AND
SONS OF VETERANS THE GUESTS.

sIr. j. H. Saussy Read n Leaf From
the Autobiography of His Brother
MIR. q. y. Saussy, Descriptive of the
Latter's Attempt to Escape From
the Federal Prison ut Point Look
out - Gen. sorreI Sent Regrets
From New York - Gen. p. Me-
GIashan's Touching Song, "The
Days We Followed Lee"
The gathering of veterans and others
interested in the perpetuation of Confed-
crate memories in Savannah, az the invi-
tation of the Confederate Veterans As
ISOLATION last night, was an interesting
and delightful one. Confederate songs and
stories followed each other in rapid sue
cession.
1t was az Confederate Hall that the vet
Grams held their reception. They had in
vited the Daughters of the Confederacy
and the Sons of Confederate Veterans,
and the hall was filled.
Judge Robert FaHigant, president of the
associa ton, presided over che gathering
and made the opening speech of welcome
and introduction. Judge Faligant was
in his accustomed happy vein, and in a
minute or two had banished the last
vestige of stiffness or formality and set
everybody in the room thoroughly al
ease.
In the course of his remarks Judge Fal-
ligant read a telegram from Gen. G. NJ.
Sorrel, as follows:
"On this anniversary of our great COM
mander. we deeply honor and love his
ever-glorious memory. Did my health
permit should be with you and my other
comrades of the Confederate army"
The telegram was dated New York
where Gen. Sorrel is now staying. The
announcement of Gen. SorreIs illness was
heard with regret, but his expression of
sentiments that every one in the audi
ence shared was greeted with applause
After Judge Faligant's Introductory
speech, a mandolin club of young ladies
played two selections very delightfully."-
and little Miss Rosalind Wood recited one
Of the Southern war lyrics.
Then followed the talk Of Hon. j. r.
Saussy, who devoted most of his time to
reading a personal Renaissance of his
brother, Mr. G. n. Saussy 1t was an in
from the Federal prison at Point Lookout
Nd, where 10000 Confederate prisoners
were confined during the fall and winter
of 1S63-64
1t was on the eve of the New Year Of
1864 that Mr.. G.. ". Saussy and some of
his comrades at Point Lookout determ n
ed to effect their escape. They construct
ed ladder of tent poles and pieces Of
rope, with which to scale the high pail
sade that surrounded the camp of the
prisoners. 1t was the plan to place tha
ladder against the fence at a point where
two of the sentinels met on their beats,
awaiting the time when they were farth-
est away before attempting to use j..
Mr. Saussys narrative continues:
las the sentinels neared the extrems
of their beats 1 put my weight upon the
first round of the ladder. 1t responded
with a crack which sounded, in my ex-
cited condition, as loud as a rifle explo-
sion, and my heart leaped up to my
throat The die was cast so / quickly
assembled the ladder was soon astrlde the
top of the fence, then down on the seil-
try's walk. 1 did not know what was
beneath. but let myself drop from this
walk or scaffo.d and struck on the side
of ditch, making so much noise in the
fall as to attract the attention of one of
the guards
A comrade named Aiken, of South caro-.
lima, was a close second behind me, and
was in the act of mounting the top of
the fence, when my unfortunate fall be-
trayed the conspiracy. This sentinel yell
ed out to his comrade. Look out! Keys"
Then, Halt! there. drop THAR Aiken. as
soon as detected, ran down the ladder
seized it and made for the camp The
exclamation Drop thatr was directed
to him, but all the same he didn't drop
II. Thereupon the guard snapped his
gun three times before it fired, the ball
flying wide of its mark.
No sooner the gun fired than I dashed
out from under the cover of the scafrola
into the darkness Have any of you ever
attempted to fire or shoot at an object
in an intensely dark night? Well, If you
have not, try it. Luck or intuition must
be yours if you hit the mark My com
rades, game and full of grit. hurried TO
their tent and soon destroyed all traces
OF the LADDER, burning the fragments to
prevent betrayal IL search should be
made. AS soon as l had put an hundred
yards between myself and the prison
fence / was satisfied l was beyond the
ken of the guard and halted for consul
cation. 1t is necessary here to explain
the location OF the prison camp. Point
Lookout is long. low sandspit projecting
into the confluence of the Potomac and
Chesapeake Bay.
North OF and nearly a mile from the
prison pen was a shallow and boggy-bot-
TONED bayou or lagoon making from the
Potomac almost across to the Chesa-
peake. Only a narrow sand ridge barred
out the bay and prevented the Point
from being an island.
upon the sand bar the garrison had
erected a causeway, and upon that built
blockhouse, the latter so constructed
as to command all access or egress to or
from the Point. Flanking the blockhouse
were close rows of piling extended into
the bayou, and also the bay. thus forcing
every one desiring to enter or leave
the Point to pass through the block
house.
Between the fence of the prison camp
and the blockhouse lay the comps of the
garrison or guard. l was compelled to
work my way between the camp and the
fence, which / fortunately did without
challenge, and reached the beach just
south of the blodkhouse without detec-
ton.
There were three ways OF getting away
from Point Lookout, one through the
blockhouse, one by swimming or wading
around the piling in the lagoon or by do
ing the same around that extending into
the bay. The first was utterly impract-
cable, the second dangerous because OF
the Doggy condition Of the bottom of the
lagoon; therefore, the way around the
piiing in the bay seemed the only solu-
tion Of this grave problem.
Arriving within seventy-ive yards of
the blockhouse. / knew the crucial time