The National tribune., 1909-12-16
ESCAPING FROM ANDERsoNvILLE
Thru the Tunnel to FrecdOm-Thc Dis
appointment of MistalSinS Rebs
for YankS.

| On Nov 2S, 1864, tunnel was COM
pleted at the east side of the stockade
at Andersonville. George Latcher, of
Waukegan, ILL.,, and myself learned
during one rainy night that the tunnel
was ready to let out all prisoners who
desired to escape.
So we packed up what little baggage
we had and carried 1t in our pockets.
We were lowersd II feet to reach the
tunnel and crawled thru its 800 feet
| of length to freedom. 1t was raining
hard and all the fires were put out.
| The guards had to put their guns under
their overcoatS to keep them dry, and
Everything was quiet except the storm.
| We crawled out of the tunnel into a
| pine forest, and started north as near
as we could tell in the darkness of the
night. We had neither shoes nor hats,
and hardly clothing enough to cover
ourselves.
| : We travelled by night and lay by in
the daytime in the canebrakes and
other places of safety We kept that
lup for five days and nights. we crawled
into smOkehouses for food The col
ored people would also give us some
thing to eat, and give us old clothing
and shoes Thus We found plenty in
the country to eat and wear, such as
| it was. 80
On the morning of Dec. 81, 1864. we
came to a shanty of colored woman,
who was scared at the looks of us. She
did not want to entertainsus at first.
but she af srward called us, in and put
us up in the loft of her ihanty to rest.
and escape the bloOdhoundSS which were
on our trail. The old colored woman
filled our pockets with com pone and
bacon and Niger beans. and we crawled
out OF the loft the. next 9eyening. and
started up the road, toward! Macon, Ga.
From there we started on our night
journey with a small boy TO guide us.
We looked back after he left us and
saw him kneeling down in the road and
asking God to guide us to our army,
1t was there that got an impression in
my heart that / ought to he Christian.
| never got rid of that impression.
We came to a road bordered by
board fence, and looking up saw
guard patrolling his beat to and fro
across the road, and dressed in blue. We
held a council together and concluded
that we were close to Sherman's army,
so we boldly marched up to him and
told him who we were. He called for
the Corporal of the Guard. The Cor
poral came with eight rebel soldiers of
the 18th Tenn, and took us prisoners.
The guard had taken the blue uniform
from some prisoner or on some battle
field, and we were completely surprised
anu at Jul tSi'ic4S
take.
George Shatchwell. of the 18th ILL.,,
nv partner, tainted and it was five min
utes before we could rally him. We
refused to walk any farther, and made
them take up in wagon drawn by oxen
We were taken to the Macon Jail and
kept there for three days in total dark
ness When we came out they told us
that they were going to take us into our
own lines but after riding all day, at
o'clock in the evening of Jan. we
landed at Andersonville again in front
Of Capt. Henry WirZ.
He placed US in the stockade. WirZ
seemed to like a Yankee who had am
bition enough to get out OF Anderson
Vile Prison. / stayed in Andersonville
until March 10, 1865, when we We're
taken to Vicksburg to be exchanged.
Stayed in parole camp until April 20,
when 1000 were placed on board the
Sultana. Seven miles above Memphis.
on the morning of April %, the boat
blew up, and threw all OF us into the
river One thousand six hundred were
drowned and about 500 were rescued
To this day we suffer frora the awful
calamity that occurred As years ago.
The whole regiments, 14th Ill. and
18th H., were captured at Ackworth
and Big Shanty Oct. 4, 1864.-E. w.
Mcintosh, 14th ILL.,, 2407 Jones ST.,
Omaha Npb.