The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-16
SUPT. COOK TELLS STORY OF
CHARLESTON EVACUATION

general headquarters, also soon got
acquainted with number of the
leading medical men of General Gil
moure's army.
Matters ran on in this sort of way
for some six weeks, and out of the
125 very sick soldiers that we had on
our rolls on the 5th of February, a
large percent had been buried, some
had recovered and had taken the oath
OF allegiance and had been permitted
to leave the hospital and we had only
some twenty to twenty-five soldiers
in the hospital, and they were about
convalescent, and we were all won
dering what would be our fate.
My Office was right on King street,
and at this time, there was but little
for me, to do, and | spent consider
able portion of my. time in company
with Surgeon Robinson and Ward
master. J. A. Rampy, sitting near the
door, so that we could see and hear
what was going on in the street.
The sentinels were all low coun,
try South Carolina negroes, and they
have a peculiar lingo of their own
which was very amusing to me and
often spoke to them just to hear them
talk, never heard one use the plur-
al number nor feminine gender, it
was always the masculine gender and
singular number.
Startling Information.
| had been stationed in Charleston
about twelve months altogether, and
had many friends in the city, and
some of these were very much inter.
ested in my welfare, and one morn
ing, l think it was on Friday, the IL
of March, st. Patrick's day, I happen
ed to be sitting in the door alone and
as the negro sentinel passed on his
walk boy about II or Is years OF
age, a son of a prominent citizen
Mr.. n. M. Porter, came along and threw
a small scrap of paper in my lap and
without saying a word followed the
sentinel on down the street l left
the Office and went into the dispensary
when l unrolled the little roll of pa
per and found this written on same:
The hospital will be closed on Mon
day and all the attendants will be put
in JAIL
1 Immediately sought my friend
Wardmaster J. A. Rampy- and show
ing him the note he asked me what
/ thought of doing, and l told him
didn't relish going to Jail, and
thought l could get out of the city
and if he would go with me We would
make the attempt that night While
on duty in the city, l had frequently
visited the gardening district and
thought l could pilot my way out.
Our plan was to slip out at night or
the Meeting street side, cross that
street and then take through private
lots until We reached the garden dis
trict, and then cross to the west anG
reach Ashley river at about midnight
and catch the incoming tide which We
calculated would drift us beyond the
Federal picket lines on the west banf
of Ashley river.
Ashley river at this point is wide
and for safety we got us two boards
about II inches wide by Is inches
long and put two small auger holes
in each end, to which we attached
four tight-cOrked conteens, and in ad
dition to this we took three large
water buckets each, these buckets
would hold three gallons each anC
our calculation was that in case o
exhaustion We could depend on these
buckets with three tied together in {;
bunch, to hold up as much as teI
pounds each, or thirty pounds for The
three, and this, in addition to on