The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-12-04

4
hospital, escaped with others by secreting
himself in the hospital garnet. When
Sherman took possession they came forth
from their hiding and had things pretty
nearly their own way in Columbia for q
while. My comrade claimed that he had
the satisfaction of applying the torch to
the old Jail where we had passed four
months in captivity. As for myself and
the great majority of us, when the gates
of the Asylum Prison were thrown open,
we, who had marched therein on Dec.
II, 1864, marched out again-the last
time that we were to pass those gates-on
that, to us, Ong-tO-be-remembered st. Val
entine's Day, A. D. 1865.
AT CHARLOTTE.
We Travelled by rail from Columbia, s.
c., to Charlotte, N. c., arriving at the
latter place about noon on Feb. Is, 1865.
AS we rode all night, of course we took the
sleeper, but as the sleeper was not first
class, and as the railroad itself was some
| what out of condition, we were not there
by afforded cheap of rest. The train
not stop 40 minutes for breakfast"
at any of the convenient towns along the
route, We were somewhat weary and just a
little hungry when we reached our destl-
nation, where we alighted in the outskirts
of the city and were driven to our hotel,
situated in beautiful grove Of scrub pines,
made yet more lovely from the fact that
.'the beautiful snow was quietly falling
in quantities sufficient to give the ever
green foliage variegated hue.
Once within the hotel, We proceeded to
light the fires in the roOmy kitchen with
pine boughs gathered from the surrounding
grove, for the purpose of preparing our
dinner (which, by the way, did not mater
ialize as one of our square meals. We
I 1~f n.
not of the city, for the police had been
instructed to allow on one to pass beyond
| that interesting limit called the Dead
Line" However, as We gathered fuel in the
outermOst parts, screened by the interlac-
ing branches and binding snow, many
eluded the vigilant eyes of the police and
passed into the outer woods, forgetting
to return. Thus it happened that / found
myself, in company with four comrades
Hill, Affick, Stauber and Cramer-en-
titled to the freedom of the State of North
Carolina, SO long as we were able to SUBJ
sist and keep out of sight.
OUR ESCAPE.
Quickly we proceeded to widen the dis
lance between ourselves and our kitchen
fires, and right here, before l forget it,
wish to inform the reader that we ate no
square meal that day. AS the afternoon
waned the snowfall turned into rain and
after making rapid tracks northward as
long as We could see, and until too ex-
hausted to proceed further, we crept into a
| friendly thicket and slept the sleep of the
most wretchedly weary,
With forest leaves for a bed
And dripping pine boughs overhead.
When the light of another day dawned
we resumed our journey and within an
hour fell in with young negro, who pro-
vided US with a cold lunch of hoecake
which we enjoyed greatly; but this was
not one OF our square meals.
The sky had now become clear, and it
was pretty cold, SO We took to the woOdc
again, travelling until our clothes were dry
and we were warm enough to rest COM
fOrtably, when we sought a quiet nook
and slept and rested until dark. That night
We tramped along the public road until
| nearly morning in northwesterly direc-
ton, designing to reach Eastern Tennessee
in time, il we were not caught and good
luck attended MS. Our road finally led us
to village on the Catawba River, which
we wanted to cross, but the dogs in the
| village were SO thick and demonstrative
| that We turned back before reaching the
| bridge and once more took to the woods,
going southwark and leaving the village to
our right.
A FRIENDLY NEGRO.
When II became light We discovered a
negro of large and almost gigantic proper
tons clearing brush not far from his cabin.
Attracting his attention, we mOtioned him
to come to us, which he did, after arming
himself with a stout club as precaution-
airy measure. When we had explained
that we were "Linkum sojers," just out of
jail and nearly starved, he told us to keep
In the woods until night, when he would
put us across.
In the meantime he brought us a fair
supply OF hoecake and bacon, but not then
did we indulge In a square meal. We ate
sparingly and rested and slept until dark.
when our guide came, and conducting us
to point on the river about a mile dis
| tant. he ferried us across in a dugout and
directed us on our Journey. Oh, those
North Carolina negroes were among the
whitest of men to be found in Dixie by an
escaped Union soldier in those days.
There were patches of snow on the
ground here and there and the nights were
bitter cold. As We had no blankets, We
found it necessary to travel by night and
rest by day, and every day when the sun