Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-12-29
PRISON HORRORS.
Civil War History by One Who Lived
In Wausau.

A paper written by Gen. John 4azol
Kellogg, entitled, Capture and Escape
Narrative of Army and Prison Life,
has just been issued by the Wisconsin
History commission All our old resi-
dents will remember Gen. Kellogg. He
came to Wausau from Lacrosse in 1875
he was a prominent memrer of the
Marathon county bar and represented
this district in tine state senate in 1879
80. He was serving as district attorney
of Juneau county when the civil wal
broke out and after assisting in raising
a company of soldiers, which was as
signed to the iron brigade, he was
made a lieutenant. For meritorious
service he was in turn promoted from
lieutenant to captain, lieutenant colonel
and brigadier general.
The Kellogg home in Wausau was on
property now occupied by the PILoI
Office. When the PILoT editor pur.
chased the property the old home was
moved off the lot and is now occupied
by Mrs. A. P. Bailey, 6l2 Fourth street
The general died in this city Feb. 10,
1888.
Besides being engaged in many minor
battles Gen. Kellogg was with Braggs
army at Antietum, Fredericksburg.
charlottesville and Gettysburg, the
four bloodiest of the war, in which the
Iron brigade played so famous part
and made Wisconsin forever proud OF
that organization.
May 5, 1864, while with the army OF
the Potomac on the Rapidan, Capt
Kellogg, as he was then known, was
ordered by Gen. Bragg with his com
pany to report to Gen. Cutler for skirm-
ish duty, and was counseled by the gen.
eral to take along plenty of orderlies
andreport frequently" His report to
Gen. Cutler was given in the Office OF
the secretary of state at Madison while
Gen. Lucius Fairchild was secretary,
long after Appomattox.
In his first skirmish Capt Kellogg and
his company were overwhelmed by a
regiment OF the enemy, the Thirteenth
Georgia, and marched off to the south,
prisoners of war. His story tells of pris-
on experiences at Lynchburg. Danville
and Macon. Ga; in Charleston, where
with his fellow prisoners the captain
was placed under the fire of the federal
guns by the rebels, and then the csc ape
while enroute by train to another pris-
on at Columbia, S. c.
Twice Capt. Kellogg had tried to es-
cape from prison by the tunnel route.
The first time he stuck his head up on
reaching the surface outside of the stock
ale and found a rebel sentry looking at
him. The second attempt was foiled by
the treachery of a fellow prisoner
Once before the captain and party of
daring spirits had tried leaping from a
rapidly moving train on down grade,
only to be recaptnred by dogs within a
few days.
The last and the successful attempt
was made with Capt. John b. Vilet,
Capt. Henry Spencer, Lieutenant and
Adjutant Cough of the Tenth Wisconsin,
and Lieutenant Hatcher, of the Thir-
teenth Ohio. Managing to pick the
percussion caps from the rifles of their
guards the men boldly leaped off into
the darkness as the train swept through
belt of forest and, although scattered
along for many rods, the five escaped
unhurt.
Then follows the story of wanderings
covering over $50 miles through the
swamps and across the rivers of the
southland in October; many times half
famished; chewing ripened corn from
the ear as they travelled by night and
slept out by day; wading down streams
to throw off the dogs with which they
were hunted footsore, without enough
clothing to cover their nakedness, but
ever pressing on with indomitable
resolution to escape or be killed rather
than return to rebel prison pen.
1t is story which thrills, every page
of it. On the very first night the party
UCCdLlC SCpdA dtCl anu II was AOb Until
they were sent to Chattanooga, after
regaining the union lines, that they
found Cough Vliet had reached that
place one day after the three arrived at
Calhoun, ga.
So disreputable was the appearance of
the three that union officers refused to
believe their story when they came un-
der the old flag again, and they were
being sent to the guard house when
Capt. Kellogg happened to hear the First
Wisconsin cavalry mentioned and de-
manded to be brought before some of
its officers.
The regiments of the other two had
been mustered out of the service. Dur
ing his experiences as a rebel prisoner
the captain HAD been twice promoted,
first to major of his regiment, and less
than two months later to be its lieuten-
ant colonel, which position he assumed
on his return to the service. Soon after
he was made colonel and in February,
1855, succeeded Gen. Bragg as CON-
mander Of the reorgonlZed Iron brigade
when the general was sent to Washing
| ton.
The Wisconsin History commission
consists of Gov. James o. Davidson;
Prof. Frederick j. Turner, of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, Secretary Reuben
! q. Thwaits, state historical society
Secretary Henry f. Legler, Wisconsin
library commission, and Assemblymen
{. f. Estabrook, representing the de-
partment of Wisconsin. g. A. K
Ii is the intention of the commission
to issue in iorln for preservation origin
al narratives OF Wisconsin's part in the
civil war and to place in get-at-able
shape material to be found in old news
papers, letters, etc, now in the posses
sion of the State Historical society.
Much of this Information IS invalu a !.
N aS4a hgiShsnr the GREATNESS of he