The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-12-25
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the battlefield and in
Camp-Vetersns Of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences Of Thrilling Nature.

tember. 1864. the people of the North
Were treated To an extraordinary
amount Of news. even for these days.
found now | would like To look il over
and see the startling intelligence that
was reported. For II was on that
morning that the news Of Sherldnn's
great victory ut Winchester came: aud
III the same breath the people We're In
formed Of an audaclous and very near
ly successful attempt 10 release the
Confederate prisoners on JohnsOn's
Island, of Sandusky. sicZe the United
States gunboat Michigan. make u Con.
fcdcratc cruiser Of her. and hold Lake
Erie, and perhaps the adjaccnt waters
under her dominion.
was one of Shcridan's army. and
the Importance Of the victory at Win
chester was very clear To me. as II was
Ia my comrades. The event that had
happened near Sandusky on the same
day tSept. 10. 1860. when we learned
or II. lid not seem To us To be u matter
Of much Importance. We were In
cllned To think II Il madcap attempt Of
u few refugees In Canada. which new
or had any chance of success: and we
were not much disturbed by the news.
We did not realize the gravity of that
situation. as did the people Of Buffalo.
,Sandusky, Toledo and Detroit. Those
good citizens awokc on the morning Of
the 10th tn the knowledge that dar.
ling Confederate raid right among their
homes had just missed success. when
the consequences of success would
have been to release a powerful body
lrf the enemy right In the North. put
',ie elites and towns of Lake Erie lin-
Her tribute. drive of all commerce and
travel from the lake. and create such
icrror In the North as would not be
'reated by great Confederate victory
n the field. A scare" was caused.
ike to nothing else In the whole course
r. the war. Troops We're hurried to
these points: before their arrival the
citizens patrolled the streets with
arms, and the excitement was at fever
heat.
There was good cause for IL. The
daring nature of that attempt to seize
Lake Erie. with all the tremendous
consequences that would be sure to
come from that stroke, are not well
known to the veterans. as they should
be. 1t was an important phase of the
war that they did not see. and which
they should have In mind. Briefly
stated the plan was this:
The only United States vessel on
Lake Erie was the Michigan. a steam
er carry eighteen guns. She was at
this time lying Off JohnsOn's Island.
in Sandusky Bay. which since 1862 had
been used as prison for captured
Confederate officers. there being on
Sept. 10. 1864, almost 2.4OO of them
there. The guns of the Michigan COM
manded the island. and no attempt at
revolt on the part of the prisoners
could he made while this was so. But
IL the Michigan could be captured. the
prisoners could easily overcome their
guard: they could arm themselves.
cross to the mainland. get horses, and
ride Southwark at will. plundering and
destroying AS they went-for there
We're 10 troops in Ohio tO stay them.
And the steamer with a Confederate
crew aboard could shell any city on
the lake. if that We're thought best.
and could do infinite damage to the
Union cause. besides the moral effect
of such victory. 1t would be much
like a blockade Of the lake ports.
The Canadian ports were at that
time swarming with refugees. fugi-
tives from the draft, and Confederate
officers and agents. The plan which
has been outlined was concOcted by
Jacob Thompson, the crafty secret
agent of the COnfederacy in Canada.
He gave the charge of it to one of
those daring men whom the Confeder-
ates had ready everywhere that audac-
ity and devotion to their cause could
be used.
John Yates Beall. who undertook
this astonishing enterprise. and paid
the penalty of failure with his life. was
In many respects an extraordinary
man. He was at this time in his thir-
ty-second year. He was a native Vir-
ginian. graduate of a university. and
at the outbreak of the rebellion owned
plantations and slaves worth a mil
lion and a half of dollars He was an
officer of the Second Virginia Infan-
try. which formed a part of the Stone
wall Brigade" He had seen much
service. and was particularly chosen
for the command of this expedition.
On the morning of Sept. 10 the
steamer Philo Parsons. plying between
Detroit. Sandusky and the islands, was
boarded at Sandwich and Maiden by
men, who brought an old
trunk with them. There was nothing
peculiar in their appearance. and they
excited no suspicion. Before reaching
Sandusky the trunk was opened.
knives and revolvers We're distributed,
and the party took complete possession
of the boat. After cruising awhile
among the islands. they captured an
bthcr steamboat, the Island Queen,
which had aboard passengers. includ-
ing some soldiers going TO Toledo to
be mustered out. All these Beall put
ashore. after exacting an oath of Sc
crecy for twenty-four hours as to what
had been done. He then took the ISL
and Queen out into the lake. scuttled
her. and with the Philo Parsons cruis-
ed up and down outside Johnson's ISL
and. He cruised there all day. waiting
for an expected signal. which never
came.
The plot was in two parts. The
other part was 10 he executed by 4
officer named Cole. He
had made the acquaintance of the offi-
GERS of the Michigan and they had con-
sented to take supper with him on the
evening of this day. He proposed To
drug them. or in some way detain
them from their boat; a signal would
inform Beall of his success: the Mich,.
gan would be attacked and taken by
cannon shot ayar tra island