Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-02-06
WAR EXPERIENCE
OF THOS. HAWKINS
Captured by Yankees, In Prison,
But DOnns Enemies Uniform and
Makes Good His Escape.

Speaking Of Thomas Hankins, no
man ioNcs more lnan he 70 talk OF
inc war ana ms experiences. lie
was ASKED by News man the otn-
er day To ten him about ms expert
ence aS u prisoner, anu how he man
aged 10 TOOL the yankees and get
away. Here is the story as told
by MN rs near us il can be re-
called.
In the year 1861 Jonathan Han
kins, II brother to Thomas, entered
the Confederate service. The Han
kins family lived in baptist Valley.
Thomas was too young To enlist ut
that time. In the yeah 1862 Jona-
than came home and raised II COM
pany, and was made its captain.
This was II cavalry company, and
Tom got his horse and prepared to
lolh the army as II full-ilcdged sol
dier. In company with others he
was making his way TO his regi-
ment somewhere in West Virginia,
wnen word reached them that the
command had moved, ana The party
returned to Baptist Valley. Sew
erai messages awaited Captain liam
kins there, ordering him 10 hunt up
all his men and report somewhere
else, not now recalled. AZ that time
a raid of yankee cavalry was pass
ing through Tazcwell. A regiment
oI Confedcratcs were at Liberty
Hill in this county. The yankee
commander, General Avcrill, If mem
ory is not ut fault, had pickets sta
tioned on top Off high hill on the
eight of the road between the resi-
dcncc of III. q. l'ccry and the fair
grounds. Captain llnnkins station
cd Thomas in the road at the Peery
residence, while he and several of
ais men sauntercd around to cap
Lurc the picket on the hill. With
Tom ut this time was Albert Pccry,
James Freeman and John Wuldron,
ail young fellows. Before they
"new anything several yankee cav
alrymen rode down on them from
the direction of town. The boys
hit it, down through 'Spirc Pccry's
meadow, aiming TO make il to tall
timber on the hill beyond. In the
meantime the order to surrender
was accompanied by the whiz of
yankee bullets. But on the boys
flew, regular "fying squadron"
The bullets began to zip uncomfort
ably near, and the boys concluded
that the wise thing to do was to
surrender, and several empty hands
went into the mir, opinting straight
up. The boys were marched back
20 town and all but Tom released.
lie was taken on eastward, as far
as to Peppers Ferry. There he was
Lurncd over to the fcderais, pris-
oner. The battle of Cloyd's Farm
had been fought on the day before,
and Tom found number of our
boys who had been taken prisoners
in that battle. Among them was
not our friend and townsman, Geo.
X. Surface, however, who was in
that battle, and did such tall running
MS never was. He says himself that
his speed and the length Of his run
injured his wind, and he has never
gotten over it. He has never been
able to work longer than fifteen min
utes at time since.
Here, ut Peppers Ferry, Tom be-
gan to plan an escape from the yan
KEGS, and quite shrewdly did he ac-
complish the undertaking. He
found that number Of our boys
were diked out in yankee uniforms.
That was enough. So, Tom select
ed subject with about the right
size uniform, laid his plans before
him, and then and there swapped
clothes, donning n full suit of yam
kee clothes. Pickcts and guards
were stationed all around, but just
about nightfall Tom walked boldly
across the creek, on the other side
of which the ynakee army was en-
camped. "Where are you goin'"
called out the picket. "To my COM
pany" replied this fugitive. ~
have been over to see my cousin,
who was captured" "WelI, have
orders not to allow anyone to pass
here, g'wan; but don't you do it
again." said the guard. 81 WON'T"
said Tom, and passed over in the
woods and to freedom.
To make long story short, he
steered clear of all the pickets,
spent part of next day in the
house of an old mountaineer some
where in West Virginia, where he
was kindly received and allowed to
sleep and rest, and when he left
the good woman loaded him down
with enough good things to eat to
last him all the way to his home in
Baptist Valley. He made the en-
tire trip afoot in day or two. For
some time after reaching home he
was kept busy describing to the
crowds who came to see him, how
he got away, and he has been tell
ing this same story every chance
he has had ever since. Ask HIM
to tell it. He likes to talk about an
experience which the mist of the
years has failed to dim.
Subscribers who took advantage of
the six months offer of this paper and
the Progressive Farmer, need not feel
uneasy if they have not yet received