The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-31
FROM FORT DELAWARE
TO HOME AND LIBERTY
How Prisoners Returned Lady BountiTu in
Baltimore Hotels Closed to
ConfederatcS
ConfederateS.
ny GAIT. JAMES nuMGAI;DaEIt, JK.


oT stnuutVn.
tThe author. "a mGribrr OF tho staun-
ton ba'' local counsel tor the lti,t-
more aud OHIO isa.irc;td Company.
served gaiiamily liuQuEl In. civil
War. being the fret yc,ll "dtutnnt Ut
the fitui Virginia infantry. .sioncwall
EBtGHdc. ana frr tho remainder Of The
war captai,. ut Company y. l'ilty-
second Nirg:mii, Infantry. r:urly's Brl-
s"de ~" i,"s captured ~ ,hc i'rd-
ert!. shortly before ihr close Of the
war and taken to Fort Delaware. lie
recently read before Stonewall JaclsSom
Camp OF Confederate Veterans, or
Staunton, "a paper describing his re-
tease from prison ami his return 10 his
h"n's. The following is that pnpcr)
To the prisoners OF war confined I'm
Fort Delaware the period between the
surrender Of General Ice at Appo-
matto% ana their release from prison
was "A very anxious and trying one. on
one or two occasions after the aurren-
der "a, .,ppumattox the prisoners were
Paradcd In inc yard and rendered the
oath OF allegiance to the Federal gov.
eminent With Il very few exceptions
the prisoners refused 10 take the oath
az 50 rendered
With !, view. however. Of enabling
the prisoners 10 act In concert. meet
ings we're held. IN which the du,ics nni
. 80. 'i'i''i ~ t'aN W ISpUi.E as stlIltfS
OF the southern Confadcrucy under
their present situation and circuIn-
stancrg, wcrr fuiIy discussed and Il
WAS almost unanimously resolved, In
substance. TINT each prisoner would
continue 10 remain iu the position OF
Il soldier Of the Confederate Army.
ana a prisoner Oi war. so long as the
Confederate government had a sub
sinnttal existence ana maintained an
operating army in the ncid.
ABOUT tho lU;h at June. 1865, Tho
RELEASE Of prisoners began on small
scale. Individuals ana small groups
OF from one 10 half II dozen were called
10 Tho office III the adiutant OF the
tort. paroled and released. The great
majority Of tho prIsnners however.
htlil remained in anxious uncertainty
as to when their release would be
ordered
On The 22d dig ot Jum.. 1865. I was
summoned 20 III. ndjutants Office lpon
reaching the office found there Cav
tain James G. Marquis, OF stanton
VII" had brought with him from Wash
inston an order directing the rclcas..
of myself and some sixty other pr!s-
one:s, mostly priyatcs, from the Coun.
tics Of RucEbridpc. Augusta and ROCK
inGham. Captain Marquis stated 20 ms.
that lie and ne Hon John T. Harris,
who WAS Il member OF Congress from
the Staunton district al the heginnini:
or tie war, had gore to WASHINGTON
together, and that Mr.. Harris through
the intervention and assistance OF
Isomc OF his old congressional acuuuint-
'anccs In Washington, had procured
from the War Department the order
az release, which he brought directly
10 Fort Delaware. in order to effect
the release as soon as possible.
WAS directed by the adiutant OF the
Tort TO report at his Office promptly
at O'Clock that evening, In order
10 embark on the steamer which would
leave the fort Il little after TINT hour
Tor Baltimore. l had n balance OF 1.
lew dollars to my credit in the onicc.
which was paid TO me.
At or about o'clock In the evening
the prisoners named in the order
brought b. Captain Marquis were as
semblcd in front Of the adjutnnt's Of
lice, parolcd. and Informed that ,ncv
would be transported by Tho Fedora;
government 10 Richmond, and must get
from Richmond 10 their homes as
best they could. ! was put in com
mand OF them, and they We're Instruct
ed 10 look 10 me for orders ana 10
obey my orders until their arrival ~
Richmond About shutdown tho steam
er from Philadelphia to Baltimore
landed at the wharf. We boarded it
and were soon on our way towards
"home." ] did not observe that many
tears were shed as we bade as we
hoped, an eternal farewell TO Fort
Delaware.
We reached Baltimore about sun
rise the next morning, and, learning
that the steamer for Fortress Monroe
would leave Baltimore at G o'clock thai
evening, ] dismissed my company,
charging them 10 be on hand promptly
at the hour and place designated for
our departure from Baltimore II Is
perhaps unnecessary to state that this
order was very promptly o6cycd
repaired TO Barnum's Hotel and
registered and very promptly re-
Hpondcd TO the first call 10 breakfast.
How enjoyed that breakfast may 10
imagined. as 1t was tho hrs, time
had sat down to meal table since nv
lust supper Mt home just one Year be-
fore, and during that time / had sub
sisted entirely on campaign or prison
fare. After breakfast | thought TINT.
my finances would enable me 10 afford
the almost forgotten luxury OF Il cigar,
md went TO n ciSIr stand and made
purchase. On pulling out the money
to make payment the proprietor told
me that the cigars were paid for.
asked who paid Tor them, ana the
reply was that n lady had called Just
before came in nnG paid for them BY
what clairvoyant power or spiritual
communication this lady was in
formed that l, at that particular mo-
nept, would be at that cigar stand
and buy three cigars at the rate of
three for quarter was left to con-
lecture.
A then went TO barber shop to
asssf?SsA my hair CIT; when the work was
asked fine barber how much
him, ahd his reply was that
ssIf5 capnd on him Just before
and Fad paid him for cutting
q q aAs. OF Maryland who
e EA Virginia during tho
n * f.om mi ann ii nj