Year: 1863

three thousand Of us prisoners in all; we
were kept on the battlefield in rear of the


rebel army until after the fight was over


and they retreated to the Potomac. Then


we were marched to the river by way of


Waynesboro and Hagerstown WeFcrossed


the river at Williamsport on the 9th, and


took the road for Staunton. l had lost


my shoes soon after | was taken, SO | had


to march barefoot. They gave us but


little to eat, sold my watch for thirty


dollars Confederate scrip. but it did not


last long, for had to pay such prices for


everything paid as high as four dollars


for half peck Of -four. had three CON-


rades, so my money did not last long. At


Winchester cut my foot on piece of
glass; it was very painful but had to
keep up with it. We reached Staunton


on the 18th, after march of one hun
dred and fifty miles Staunton is 1877


miles from the Potomac. 1t is needless
to say that we were weak from hunger


tired and foot sore, From Staunton we


were to be sent to Richmond. They sent
them all off but 500 of us, and they told


us that they were going to put US on Belle
island; the others they were going to pa
role and send back | came to the con-
clusion that l would not 90 to Bell Is
land, so |, with my two comrades, formed
plan to effect our escape We heard
that our lines were at Front Royal, about
IS miles distant, and we thought we
could make the trip if we could only get
away from the guard; so on the 9th
we traded around and got nine or ten
crackers apiece and at night we watched
the guard to find chance to get out


About eleven o'clock at night found one
of the guards asleep; went and told my
two comrades to follow me as quietly as
possible. We got out past the guard all
Irighr, and then struck for the Blue Ridge
on the cast side of the Shenandoah. We
travelled nights and laid still daytimes,
never venturing into road. We reached
the mountains on the 30th. and then We
followed down the east side of the river.
Whenever we heard any one coming we
would lay down in the brush or behind a
fence. We passed right through rebel
cavalry camp one light, and | crawled up
within two or three rods of one of their
fires where crowd were sitting, to see il
could hear anything about where oul
men were. | could learn nothing, so
crawled off and passed out amongst their
horses into the woods. About this time
our bread gave out, and we had to live
on berries and green apples; once in q
while we would find milk house, and
then we would get what milk we could
drink We passed Port Republic on the
night of the first of August. We would
meet cavalry squads every little while,
but none of them discovered u.s. When
we got down within about twelve miles OF
Front Royal. we crossed over on the west
side of the river; we got rather careless,
as we thought we were pretty near our
lines and we did not keep as close as we
should have done through the daytime.
We were seen by some of the citizens, al
though we did not know it at the time.
We started at dark on the evening of the
7th. as we usually did. We did not 20
more than five or six miles before we beard
some one coming; we were right in front
of house at the time, and jumped over
the fence and laid down behind it; the
other two boys crossed the road and laid
down in the brush. Presently the crowd
came along and halted right at the fence


about twenty feet from me- but it was SC
r dark that they did not see me. They
called the man out of the house. and
overheard their conversation. They told
him there had been three Yankees seer
about six miles from there, and they wer'
/, going to hunt them up. The man tha
: lived in the house, whom | heard then
: call johnson. hallooed to his boy and told
: him to fetch out his gun and cai aitridg
|. hoy the how hrnnpht out the gun ant