Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1903-01-08
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed Oh the Battlefield and in
Camp-Veterans of the Rebellion Re-

aAA II
Camp-Veterans of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences of ThriIIiu. Nature.
ON the morning Of the 10Th of Sep
tcmber. 1854. the people Of the North
were treated to an extraordinary
amount Of news, even Tor those days.
If Il daily Of that date could be easily
found now | would like to look it over
and see the startling intelligence that
was reported. For il was Oh that
morning that the news of Sheridau'S
great victory at Winchester came: and
il the same breath the people were in
formed of an audaciOus and very near
~ successful attempt to release the
Confederate prisoners OF JOhnSDn'S
Island. off SanduSky. sicze the United
States gunboat Michigan, make Il Con
federate cruiser of her, and hold Lake
Erie, and perhaps the adjacent waters
under her dominion.
| was one OF Sheridan's army. and
the Importance of the victory at Win
chester vas very clear to me, as it was
W ny sA'AIS- III SNChA llIdl iIIb
happened near Sandusky on the same
day Sept. 10, 1863, when we learned
Of it, did not seem to us to be a matter
Of much Importance. We were in
ciined to think it a madcap attempt Of
a Sew refugees in Canada, which new
er 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 aWOke on the morning of
the goth to the knowledge that a dar-
ing Confederate raid right among their
homes h&d just missed success. when
the consequences of success would
have been to release Il powerful body
of the enemy right in the North, put
the cities and towns of Lake Erie IN
der tribute, drive of all commerce and
travel from the lake, and create such
terror in the North as would not be
created by a great Confederate victory
in the field. \ scare was caused
like to nothing else in the whole course
Of the a Troops were hurried to
these points: before their arrival the
citizens patroIIed the streets with
arms, and the excitement was at fever
heat.
There was good cause for it. 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 shguld
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 a prison for captured
Confederate officers. there being on !
Sept. -, 1864, almost 2.4OO of them
there. The guns of the Michigan COM
manded the island, and no attemDt at
revolt on the part Of the prisoners
could be made while this was so. Rut
If the Michigan could be captured. the
prisoners could easily overcome their
-uard: they could arm themselves.
cross to the mainland, get horses. and
ride Southwark at will. p~Iundering and
destroying as they went-for there
were no troops in Ohio to STAY them
And the steamer with a Confederate
crew aboard could shell any CITY on
the lake. If that were thought best
and could do infinite damage to the
Union cause, besides the moral effect
If such a victory. 1t would be much
like a blockade of the lake ports.
The Canadian ports were at hat
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
1gent of the Confederacy in Canada.
He gave the charge of it to one of
those daring / whom the COnfeder-
ateS had ready everywhere that audac-
Try and devotion to their cause could
he used.
John Yates Beall, who undertook I
this astonishing enterprise, ard paid
the penalty of failure with his life, was I
in many respects an extraordinary
man. He was at this time in his thir- {
ty-secOnd year. He was a native Viz
a graduate Of a university, and t
at the outbreak Of the rebellion owned c
plantations and slaves worth a NIL
lion and a half of dollars. He was an
officer of the Second Virginia Infan- L
try. which formed a part of the stone I
Brigade" He had seen much L
and was particularly chosen
for the command of this expedition.
On the morning Of Sept. 10 the (
PhilO Parsons, plying between l
Detroit, Sandusky and the islands. was '
at Sandwich and Maiden by >
t~wenty-four men, who brought an Old >
trunk with them. There was nothing :,
I-" IL