The Washington herald., 1911-03-12
By JAMES b. MORROW.

explained to me as he strobe back and
forth across his Office. Escaping had
become my business. and just worked
at it as 1 would have worked at any
thing else
The first flight was from Libby, by the
famous tunnel through a stone wall and
under street Twice afterward he
cut a hole in the floor of the freight
car in which he was riding and dropped
to the railroad track beneath. Once, he
walked past the guards. bluffing his way
to freedom by saying he was a work
man instead of a Yankee in restraint
At another time he simply vanished and
after a day was caught in the woods
On the fifth attempt he got away for
good. That night he slept in Sherman's
camp. He was in the army. and not
far distant. when Beauregard whipped
Mcdowell in the first battle at Bull Run
He was a private soldier then. In 1865,
a captain of infantry for gaIanry in ac-
tinn, he marched in the grand review be-
fore the President.
Company H, of the Twenty-f1rst Wis
consin, he said, stopping his tramp
back and forth across his Office, cut to
pieces by Confederate bullets. only the
bare bones of what it had been, contained
the best fighting men on earch when It
swept past the White House on that last
day before dishanding-as did every other
company of lean and hardy veterans IN
the opinion of its own commander"
After a year of intermittent persuasion,
Col. Charles Henry Morgan, of Joplin,
Representative in Congress from the
Fifteenth Missouri District, was telling
me the story of his life as a soldier.
Even then, there was a Sdpulation-the
article was not to be printed until Con-
gresS had adjourned and he had gone
ba K to his coal and zinc mines in Mis-
souri,.
Il would rather Tcse 5000 than to have
my colleagues think that I Dragged to
you about my military experiences" he
said, in plainly evident integrity.
Al the call for troops in 1861 Morgan
was a student at the Fond du Lac High
School. He enlisted in the First Regi-
ment of Infantry. Before he was twenty
two he had escaped five times from.
prison and had fought in eleven pitched
battles and "nga aEements. He puts no
embroidery Of Woe or heroics into his
rarrative-it is thrilling enough in sim
pie facts-but laughs at his hardShips,
at his shoeleSs feet. and the rags that
clothed his starved and miserable body.
During the war with Spain he was lieu
tenant colonel Of the Fifth Missouri In
fantry.
story of First Capture.
II was captured the first time at Per
rysviIIe, Ky thirty-nine miles from
Frankfort he said. stamping up and
down with energy That was in Octo-
bor. lS62 Buell. commanded the Federals
and Bragg the COnfederates. My regi-
mcnt, the Twenty first Wisconsin, was
brought from tho rear at dOUble-quiCk.
Our men were falling back when we
reached the battlefield. Before We got
into line they came down upon US like
a drove of runaway cattle. Several of
them actually crawled between my legs
on their hands and knees. We checked
tn" enemy. but gave ground later. only
TO learn that We We're surrounded. SO
We We're made prisoners. I was then a
lieutenant. After my capture. | saw the
old First Wisconsin charge the COnfed-
crates When ! heard the shouts of my
former comrades | wished l We're a pri-
vate with them. instead OF 4 second lieu
tenant in the custody of the enemy.
Il was TarOIed end sent North. In a
short time was exchanged. and. by the
laws Of war. was free to fight again. 1
joined my regiment at MurfreesbOro.
Tenn. Immediately after the battle of
Stone River. Thomas was my corps COM
mander. His corps contained the cream
Of the fighting men then on earth. No
finer body of soldiers has ever lived IN
ancient or modern history. I was pres
ent at the battle OF ChiCkamauga, fought
out between ROsecrans and Bragg.
1t WAS my hloOdv battle" Col Morgan
went on to say. ON the second day we
We're ordered back and marched right
into the enemy We were getting fire
from both direCtiOns-in front and TO the
rcar-and my regiment surrendered. The
colonel, Harrison c. Hobart. was taken
with the rest. We reached Libby prison
in October. 1863. Formerly it had been
a tobacco warehouse. l was sent to the
TOP floor All Of my ow-prisoners,
like myself. were officers. They were
young. resourceful, and daring men.
Some were lawyers, some were civil en-
EineerS, and some were mechanics of
great ability. Instantly, we began to
think of escape. There We're guards in
the building and on the outside. We or
Eanized debating clubs and literary So
cities to kill time Several dramatic en-
tertainments were given, including a
minstrel show with original jokes. We
also played whist and had sword exer-
Cises to keep in physical condition for
the day when We should escape and get
safely away by using our legs.
How Tunnel Was Dug.
"A whisper went around in January.
1854 that a tunnel was being dug. Those
Of us who were upstairs could not learn
2nyInulS OeUnlIe- larry III 6bl Ndiy VIC
were told that the tunnel had been COM
pleted Persons who have heard of that
remarkable piece of engineering work
win remember ii was conceived and car
red out by Col. Thomas 4. Rose, of
Pennsylvania, assisted by Mai. Archibald
G.. Hamilton, OF the Twelfth Kentucky
Cavalry. All the tools they had were a
broken penknife and an old chiseL Their
time for work was from 10 o'clock at
night until 4 o'clock in the morning.
Three Of us agreed that when the
break came we should go together. One
man, however. did not get away. William
i. Watson, of New York, therefore. was
my only companion. We had planned our
flight and reasoned out the details to
our own satisfaction. All the escaping
prisoners, we thought, would leave Rich
mond and travel toward Williamsburg,
forty-eight miles distant So we de-
termined to steal a boat, cross the James
River, and make our way TO the coast,
hiding by DAY and walking at night
When / was creeping through the tun
ned on the night of February O. the
head of another man would occasionally
touch my feet. He was Lieut.. Frank
Moran. Neither Watson nor 1 was ac-
quainted with him, but coming out of
the tunnel one after the other, was all
the introduction we needed. Moran a
very intelligent man, argINed us out Of
our plans, and, to our sCsrow later, we
changed our course and followed him.
We walked straight through Richmond
II was then about 3 o'clock in the morn