{h^^ PS3S05 Book. ..4ss6Sy CopyiiglitT^' ° / COFSRICHT DEPOStn IRep. 50 bn jf. Bait YOURS SINCERELY. Rev. J. F. Bair. THE STORY OF THE ANDREWS RAID OR THE MOST DARING ENTERPRISE OF THE CIVIL WAR TOLD IN POETRY Rev. John F. Bair PRESS Olf Report Publishing Company, Limited, Lebanon, Pa. 2nd COPYV 1898J LIVED. ^ us-n Copyright, 1898, By Rev. John F. Bair. " I ^O the sacred memory of those eight heroes who lost their lives in this most daring- raid, also to the memory of the hve comrades of the raiding party who have died since the war, to the wives and children of nil the departed members of the heroic band, and to the nine comrades of the band w^ho still survive, these lines are affectionately dedicated by the author. NAMES OF THE ADVENTURERS. (Executed.) J. J. Andrews, leader. .Citizen of Kentucky. William Campbell Citizen of Kentucky. George D. VVilsan Co. B, Second Reg't, Ohio Vols. Marion A. Ross Co. A, Second Reg't, Ohio Vols. Perry G. Shadrack. .. .Co. K, Second Reg't, Ohio Vols. Samuel Slavems Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. Samuel Robinson Co. G, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. John Scott Co. K, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. (Escaped in October.) W. W. Brown Co. F, Twdnty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. William J. Knight Co. E, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. J. R. Porter Co. C, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. Mark Wood Co. C, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. J. A. Wilson Co. C, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. W. J. Hawkins Co. A, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. John Wollam Co. C, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. D. A. Dorsey Co. H, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. (Exchanged in March.) Jacob Parrot Co. K, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. Robert Buflfum Co. H, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. William Bensinger. . . .Co. G, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. William Reddick Co. B, Thirty-third Reg't, Ohio Vols. E. H. Mason Co. K, Twenty-first Reg't, Ohio Vols. William Pittenger Go. G, Second Reg't, Ohio Vols. CHAPTER PAGE I. Introduction, 11 II. Captain Mitcliell's plan, 13 in. Secret consultation with. Andrews at mid- niglit, 16 IV. Arrival at Chattanooga, .... 21 V. Capturing thte train, 26 VI. Delayed by extra freigh.t trains, . . 29 VII. A startling discovery, 35 VIII. The exciting pursuit by th.e enemy, . . 44 IX. Our wh.ole hand captured, .... 53 X. A great sorrow, 69 XI. A sevenfold murder, 76 XII. Liberty or death, 85 XIII. The escape of Dorsey and Hawkins, . . 92 XIV. The escape of Wilson and Wood from Atlanta to the Gulf, .... 100 XV. The escape of Brown and myself, . . 119 XVI. From Atlanta to Richmond, Libby and Castle Thunder— Exchanged at last, 131 XVII. Conclusion, 137 preface* ' Ci>i HE story of "The Andrew's Raid," which was planned by J. J. Andrews, who led ^ twenty-one young men into the heart of the so-called Confederacy, in the month of April, 1862, and captured a locomotive with three cars attached, is no doubt familiar to many. The story has been written in full by at least three of the sur- vivors of the daring raid, viz., D. A. Dorsey, Rev. William Pittenger, author of "Capturing a Loco- motive," and John A. Wilson, author of "The Ad- ventures of Alf. Wilson," To these surviving com- rades I am much indebted for the aid which their accounts furnished me in preparing this work. 7 In March, 1897, while a student in the Theo- logical Seminary of the Reformed Church in the United States, at Lancaster, Pa., I met Mr. Wil- liam J. Knight, the Union engineer of the chase. He gave a lecture, in which he told the story of the raid, at the same time illustrating it by means of large oil paintings. I had read much about the raid and of course the lecture given by Mr. Knight was of deep interest to me. I had read many poems of Longfellow, Whittier and other poets, describing daring enterprises. I wondered why none of them had ever written the story of this, the most daring enterprise of our late Civil War. I told Mr. Knight that the story ought to be written in poetry and that I had about made up my mind to undertake it. He urged me to do so. About the middle of March of the same year I began the difficult task, and now after many months of hard labor I present it to the public, feeling sure that it will be read with interest. The story reads like a 8 romance, but it is true, and as Mr. Knight said in his lecture, "The half of what they suffered has never yet been told." The poem is written in the first person and with the exception of the first and last chapters, it is written as if Comrades Knight, Dorsey, Wilson, and Pittenger were the speakers. I feel assured that the lines as I have written them will meet with the approval of the surviving comrades of the Union Army and also those who fought for the "Lost Cause." My language may in some parts of the poem seem severe, e. g., where I brand Colonel Foracre as a murderer, but I be- lieve that every native of the South who now claims to be loyal to the " Old Flag," will agree with me that he was nothing else. As to my comparing those men, who so shamefully lashed Comrade Ja- cob Parrot over his bare back, to demons sent from hell, the language is not too severe. I do not pre- tend to say that this, my longest poem, is free from error. Several of my shorter poems were severely 9 criticised when published, but the critics usually were the weakest students in the College and Theo- logical Seminary. Longfellow was severely criti- cised when he published his Hiawatha and I ex- pect the criticisms on this work to be numerous, but as it is I now respectfully present it to the public. Glencoe, Pa., Feb. i, 1898. J. F. B. 10 Chapter I. INTRODUCTION. RAVE men have often dared to die For home and native land, I now will tell the thrilling tale Of Andrews and his band; How in a noted rebel State, During our Civil War, They planned and made a daring raid And spread destruction far. II 'Twas on a Thursday night in March, Within a crowded hall, I saw the famous Andrews' Raid Portrayed upon the wall, While comrade Knight, the engineer Who ran the engine through, Told how the raid was planned and made By their small, gallant crew. He showed us pictures of the raid, Oil paintings large and grand. The railroad chase, the prison hole, And sufferings of their band; He told the tale in thrilling tones, 'Twas grand because 'twas true, I will relate in his own words, The thrilling tale to you. 12 CAPT. W. J. KNIGHT. UNION ENGINEER OF "AN DREWS' RAID. TH IRTY-SIX YEARS LATER. 1898. Chapter II. CAPTAIN MITCHELL S PLAN. '^^^WAS in the spring of sixty-two, f^^^ Upon an April day, I stood among the "Boys in blue," And heard the Captain say, "Is there a man among this throng, By trade an engineer? If so, let him step forth at once And come right over here." 13 At once I answered to his call And came to where he stood, I felt quite sure that I full well An engine understood; He took me to a private tent And there explained a plan A band of men would execute, Led by a daring man. "The man comes from Kentucky State,' Said Mitchel, (for 'twas he Who held this confidential talk Beneath the tent with me), "He is a brave and daring man, And Andrews is his name, Although a native of the South, He's Union just the same." 14 He told me also that that night, In a dark and lonely glen, Andrews would meet at twelve o'clock The band of chosen men, And there would thoroughly explain Just what concerned each man. Then they would journey South at once And execute the plan. IS Cbapter III. SECRET CONSULTATION WITH ANDREWS AT MIDNIGHT. OT many miles from Shelbyville, At twelve o'clock that night, We met within a silent grove, Our army not in sight; We formed a circle round about Brave Andrews while he spake About the daring, dangerous raid We were about to make. i6 "Soldiers," said he, "to me give heed, While I explain to you, For you must rightly understand Just what each man must do. The task indeed is perilous, In it great danger lies, If you are caught I have no doubt You'll all be hung as spies." "To Chattanooga we will go, From there we will proceed To Marietta and prepare To do the daring deed ; The locomotive and some cars We'll take and speed away, The telegraph and bridges then Destroy along the way." 17 "But listen now, just one word more, I wish you all to know That you are volunteers, no one Will be compelled to go; If there be one of you who thinks The task too hazardous, Go back to camp and tell no one What has become of us." Just tvv-enty-one of us declared We'd follow and obey, Whate'er the consequence might be, We'd rather go than stay. Two of our band returned to camp, I never knew just why, But we resolved to make the raid. We had but once to die. i8 "The object of this daring raid," Said Andrews, "I'll explain; We'll cut off all the Reb's supplies By capturing the train And burning every bridge along The Georgia Railroad route, Which is the only means they have To send provisions out." "Now form your squads and I will give You money which you'll need, Then all disperse and to the South, At once with haste proceed." He dealt the money freely out, Then said in tones quite plain, "Good-bye to all," then we went forth Through mud and falling rain. 19 Just here it may be well to state That Captain Mitchel's plan Was to move forth upon Huntsville The same day that we ran To Chattanooga with the train And burned the bridges down, The day on which we'd take the train He planned to take the town. 20 Cbapter IV. ARRIVAL AT CHATTANOOGA. E journeyed on o'er mountains high, The rain in torrents fell, We many miles on foot traversed, O'er hill, through wood and dell; At last we met upon the bank Of the River Tennessee, There Chattanooga opposite, We all could plainly see. 21 We asked a ferryman at once To take us o'er the stream, He said, "Indeed of such a thing, I ne'er could even dream;" We looked at him in great surprise And asked the reason why, "The reason why," said he, " 'tis plain, The wind is much too high." We tried in vain to urge the man To sail against the wind, But all our efiforts were in vain. We could not change his mind; When our requests all failed to move This Rebel ferryman, We changed our tactics and pursued A more successful plan. 22 Right in his presence we began To laugh and joke and jeer, Declaring that Kentuckians Would show no sign of fear; He could not stand that kind of talk, For soon we heard him call, "Come on, I'll take you o'er this stream, Or quickly drown you all." The trip was short but dangerous, But we had one task more, For we had heard that we would meet A guard upon the shore, Who would demand of each a pass Before he'd let us through, If he'd refuse to let us land We knew not what we'd do. 23 Imagine our delight when we Found there no one to stay Our progress, but could step ashore And journey on our way; No doubt because of such a storm They took the guard away, Thinking no one would dare to cross On such a stormy day. We hurried to the station, then We stepped on board the train, For Marietta we were bound, Would our trip be in vain? We reached the place about midnight, Stopped at a small hotel. We very soon were snug in bed, I never slept so well. 24 The time was short, indeed I thought I'd scarcely closed my eyes Until I heard a voice ring out, "Awake! 'tis time to rise." Each man made ready hastily, We started through the rain, We reached the station just in time To catch that fatal train. We stepped on board, seemed unconcerned As any in the crowd, The train was full of passengers Who talked and laughed quite loud; We now drew near to Big Shanty, Where we must do our work, We grit our teeth, determined that Not one his part would shirk. 25 Chapter V. CAPTURING THE TRAIN. E reached the place about dayhght, We heard the brakeman shout, "Big Shanty, you can breakfast here !" We quickly hurried out. The engineer and fireman And trainmen generally, Poured out and hurried to their lunch And left the engine free. 26 Now was our time to make a dash, We could not long delay, Andrews whispered, "All right, boys; On now and speed away." I quickly drew the coupling pin, They scrambled quickly on, I pulled the throttle open wide, Then, quickly we were gone. As we pulled out I caught a glimpse Of the excited throng Running about in wild dismay, I did not view them long, For they were soon lost to our view As we were hurled along, Once past a curve I saw no more Of the excited throng. 27 Soon afterwards we stopped our train And soon removed a rail, In order that we might delay Those following our trail; We also cut the wires down Which side beside us ran; John Scott climbed quickly up the pole, He was an active man. We cut a piece of wire out And placed it in our train, So that pursuers all might fail To mend the breach again; Then we proceeded on our way According to our plan. Which was to run on schedule time, Accordingly we ran. 28 Chapter VL DELAYED BY EXTRA FREIGHT TRAINS. UT hindrances, which unforseen A^^ Before we made the raid, At Kingston met us and we were For one full hour delayed; We thought we'd meet but one freight train, We met no less than three, Andrews inquired what the cause Of all these trains might be? 29 Immediately he was informed, It made his brave heart thrill, That Yankee Mitchel by forced march Had come upon Huntsville, And therefore all the rolling stock Was ordered quickly to Atlanta, and that these three trains Were hauHng the stock through. Andrews was then asked who he was, He answered prompt and plain, "An agent under Beaureguard, I have a powder train; We should indeed by all means be Now moving on our way, I very much indeed regret This unlooked-for delay." 30 The last freight train at last arrived, And x^ndrews turned about And ordered that the switch be turned To let our train pull out; The switch-tender refused and hung His keys upon the wall, Declared he would not turn the switch Nor let us out at all. Andrews, impatient, seized the keys And soon the sv/itch was turned, The old man made a loud protest. Which was by Andrews spurned ; When we had passed to the main track Andrews threw down the keys, Saying to the fierce old man, "I beg your pardon, please." 31 "But we cannot afford to wait Upon a single man, The South would never win the day, According to your plan;" He spoke these words, then stepped on board And we moved on once more, We ran from there with greater speed Than we had made before. Another station, Adairsville, Was but ten miles away. There we would meet another freight, We hoped 'twould not delay Us for a single moment more. For if we'd be too late To burn the bridges, stop pursuit, We'd surely meet our fate. 32 A little south of Adairsville We made another stop, Where two or three more rails were loosed And quickly taken up; John Scott as usual climbed the pole And cut the wire loose, A pile of cross ties lying there, We took for future use. Our train arrived at Adairsville Before the expected freight. But fortunately for us all, We had not long to wait. For very soon the train arrived, Backed in behind our own, Obeying orders Andrews gave In a commanding tone. 33 There now remained but one train more, Which was a passenger, The last train that lay in our way, Our progress to deter. We waited there five minutes more, The train did not appear, Andrews said, "We'll go ahead, We'll wait no longer here." We moved but slowly on at first, But soon increased our speed, I pulled the throttle open wide. Urged on my iron steed; Thus we ran on into Calhoun And there we met the train. Which soon was passed and we now free Were gliding on again. 34 Chapter VIL A STARTLING DISCOVERY ITHOUT a thought of clanger we, Q^-^Xc) Not far above Calhoun, Stopped to take up another rail And cut the wires down; While thus engaged we heard a sound, A train appeared in sight, There was but one thing we could do, 'Twas to resort to flight. 35 But from whence came this train you ask, We asked that question too; How did it pass the broken rails, And manage to run through? Let us return to Big Shanty To where we took the train, Perhaps we can more fully then The mystery explain. The engineer and fireman And conductor of the train Which we had taken from them, were Fuller, Murphy, and Cain; They had not yet begun to eat When we our work began. As I have said, we took the train And ofT with it we ran. 36 Murphy's quick ear soon caught the sound Of the escaping steam, He looked at Fuller and exclaimed, It was almost a scream, "Your train is moving, Fuller, see !" And Fuller called to Cain, "Some one is on our engine and Is moving our train !" They hurried out but were too late, The train was under way, But these three men resolved at once That they would not delay; So starting at full speed they ran After the flying train, As if they hoped to capture it And soon return again. 37 They did not for a moment think That we were Union men, But that some conscripts from that camp Had ran away again; They thought they'd surely find their train A mile or two away, And that they would not be compelled To cause a long delay. About two miles from Big Shanty, They found to their dismay, Where we had cut the wire off And carried part away; Some workmen with a handcar were Found working near the place, They soon engaged the men and car And thus began the chase. 38 Fuller knew well that at Kingston, Just thirty miles away, Three extra freights would meet our train And our project delay; With the hand car they doubtless could Eight miles an hour make, He thought by working hard they might The fugitives o'ertake. While toiling thus the men also Engaged in idle talk. While thus engaged they realized A very sudden shock; Each felt a jar and then a jolt And then a sudden pitch. And soon each man was floundering Within a muddy ditch. 39 They'd reached the place where we had torn The first rail from the track, And one was landed on his head, Another on his back; But none were injured seriously. And like determined men. They placed the hand car on the track And hurried on again. But after traveling nineteen miles. They found at Etowah, An engine large and powerful. Men called it the Yonah; They seized this prize and rapidly Proceeded on their way Toward Kingston, which they hoped to reach Before we'd get away. 40 They pulled their throttle open wide, Their engine thundered on, But when they reached Kingston at last. They found that we had gone; But we had scarcely left Kingston, Were scarcely out of sight Of those freight trains which for an hour Had checked our rapid flight. But Fuller found his pursuit checked By the large extra freight. He could not pass it nor afiford To lie there long and wait; He left the Yonah, walked around, The engine of the freight He took and hurried on again, But at a slower rate. 41 Just twenty minutes of a start Had we of them from there, Although their freight engine for speed, Could not with ours compare; But being still delayed by trains, A passenger and freight. Being delayed at Adairsville, We le'ft there somewhat late. But Fuller was somewhat delayed, When coming to the place Where we had lorn the rails away. He had to stop the chase With that engine, because he had No rails nor spikes at hand, Tnuuediately they ran on foot And left the engine stand. 42 The freight we passed at Adairsville, Soon met them on the way, They took that train and hurried back, Without a long delay; This thoroughly explains the scene Witnessed above Calhoun, Where we beheld the Rebel train — Upon us bearing down. 43 Cbapter VIII. THE EXCITING PURSUIT BY THE ENEMY. n^E now return to where we left ^^^/^ Onr small excited crew; When we beheld the train there was But one thing we could do; That was to quickly mount our train And seek safety in flight, We climbed upon the train at once And fled with all our might. 44 There was one chance, we thought, remained, We had removed a rail, By which we hoped to stop pursuit, We thought it could not fail, Until we burned the bridge ahead, Which was not far away, Andrews believed we yet would be Likely to gain the day. But Alfred Wilson soon declared That it was very plain, They yet pursued, he saw the smoke Of the pursuing train; On hearing this we slackened speed The truth to ascertain, Yes, it was true, we plainly heard The whistle of their train. 45 We next reversed our engine, then Our hindmost car cut loose And hurled it back upon our foes Who now were very close; Their engine was reversed also When our car came nigh, It failed to injure them at all, They caught it on the fly. When we came near a slight up grade. We loosed another car And hurled it back and thus we hoped Their progress to debar; But Fuller saw the car in time And quickly he reversed His engine, and they caught that car Just like they did the first. 46 The Oostenaula bridge we saw- Was now plainly in sight, We did not stop to burn it though, But crossed in rapid flight; They were so close upon us that It filled our hearts with gloom. It seemed as if we were at last Rushing headlong to doom. But two hopes ye. to us remained, One was to wreck their train, And if we failed to do that, then One course would yet remain, Twas to run far ahead and burn A bridge or lift a rail. If we could not in that succeed, Our whole project must fail. 47 Accordini^ly wo sped alon^' With a full head of slcain, Our whistle sendinjj; forth at times A shrill and waniiiiL; scream; We now .'it iiiter\als tlnevv out Sonic cross-ties on the (rack, In order that they nn't^ht ohstrnct And keep pursuers back. TVIile after mile we thus tra\'ersed In (hat most dreadful chase, Hut this alone i-otild not sa\e us Nor win for us (he race; We now drew near (o Oalton where \Vc feared (ha( we mi^ht fuul A force on hand to aid (he band l'nrsuin<>- us beliind. 48 Tlicre is a junction at that place, Two roads lead out from there, Two lines of telci;raph also, We now had to despair ( )f reaching Chattanooga with The engine we possessed, We knew that Rebels would be there With orders to arrest. We passed Dal ton in safety And on again we sped, But of those trains pursuing us, We were not much ahead; Above Dalton we stopped and cut llie telegraph once more, But 'twas no use for they had sent A message just before. 49 We quickly mounted and again Spurred on our iron steed, Then through a tunnel near the place We rushed at lightning speed; We tried to build a fire on The car which still remained, It was a task, the wood was wet For all the way it rained. At last a blaze began to rise And soon became more bright, About this time we saw ahead The covered bridge in sight; We stopped the car upon the bridge And soon the flames rose high. The smoke too floated on the air. In volumes toward the sky. 50 But scarcely had we halted when We were compelled to go, For we beheld not far behind, Our still pursuing foe; Reluctantly we left our car, Resumed again our flight, Our efforts failed, the burning car Did not the bridge ignite. Thus having failed to bum the bridge, 'Twas useless now to try To stop pursuit, 'twas better to Abandon all and fly; Accordingly we all jumped off. The engine I reversed And sent it back upon our foes, Then quickly we dispersed. A number of us jumped into A river which ran by, Holding our pistols o'er our heads To keep our powder dry; We crossed the stream in safety, There ran with me just two, We soon were lost from all the rest Of our gallant crew. 52 Cbapter IX. OUR WHOLE BAND CAPTURED. (J^ LONE were we in a strange land, ^S Without an earthly friend To shelter us or give us food, What was to be our end? But we resolved if possible, Northward to make our way, We did not have the least desire In that place long to stay. 53 Thus for three days we wandered on, Hiding as best we could, One day we stopped at a farm house And asked to buy some food; Alas for us! not far away Were Rebel cavalry, And the old farmer sent his son And warned them secretly. We ate the food which we had bought. Then quickly left the place. We climbed a hill and there we met Some Rebels face to face; They were the Rebel cavalry. Our race was run at last, And we were doomed to be abused And into prison cast. 54 Shortly afterwards they took Us to a common still, They freely dealt the whisky out And bade us take our fill; They thought that if they'd make us drunk, We'd tell all that we knew About the raid and all the men Of our gallant crew. We were securely bound with chains, Then rudely dragged away To Chattanooga where we were The penalty to pay; I will not weary you, dear friends. With this part of my tale, But will describe the horrors of That Chattanooga jail. 55 That prison, a two-story brick, Was partly under ground. And outside was a high board fence Which ran completely round; A room which measured thirteen feet In length and breadth and height, Was crowded full of prisoners Who seldom saw daylight. The entrance to this horrid hole. Was through the second floor. Which was kept closed both day and night. By means of a trap-door; They led us to this opening And bade us then descend, Then shut us in and there three weeks We were compelled to spend. 56 The air was foul, the heat intense, I thought I'd suffocate, Could they be human who would place A man in such a state? Alf. Wilson and Mark Wood soon came, How did the others fare? The place was dark but we soon found That every one was there. A Rebel whom they called "Old Swims," Had charge of this foul den, He seemed to think it was too good For any Yankee men; I learned that only twice a day, Would we get food to eat, A piece of corn bread very small. And a trifling piece of meat. 57 The food was put into a pail And from above let down, Thus we received it day by day, Oft with a sigh and frown; Still not content with starving us, They, like a set of toughs. Placed heavy chains upon our necks And on our hands hand-cufifs. The Rebels many plans devised And many efforts made To find who ran the engine through This most exciting raid; But we determined that no one Would dare to tell his name, We had but once to meet our death, No matter how it came. 58 Young Parrot, one of our gang, They thought they would compel To tell them what the rest of us Had all refused to tell; He was but eighteen years of age, He showed no signs of fear. But he refused to tell the name Of our engineer. The Rebel fiends enraged at this, Placed him upon a stone, A blacker crime than theirs I think Our land has never known; They lashed him o'er his naked back. Like demons sent from hell. But with all that they could not force That noble boy to tell. 59 When all the efforts of the fiends Had proved of no avail, They ceased their work and sent him back To Chattanooga jail; In that condition he was placed, His back all bruised and sore, About the Union engineer They questioned him no more. The Rebels had determined that They'd hang the engineer, If they had known that I was he, I would not now be here; But during our imprisonment. They never truly knew That I was he who in our raid, Had run the engine through. 60 Some two weeks after our raid, Andrews was briefly tried, The charges were that of a spy, And with the North allied; Andrews a-lniitted that he was The leader in the raid Which our band of gallant men So daringly had made. About this time we heard some news Which filled our hearts with joy, Although the Rebs. who guarded us, It did indeed annoy; We heard that Mitchel had advanced And was at present near To Chattanooga and the Rebs. Were all in constant fear. 6i Leadbetter, who had charge of us, Now entertained great fear That he might lose his prisoners, If Mitchel should come near; He quickly ordered that our band Be sent to Madison, So we were placed in rude box cars, The W'Ork was quickly done. Our treatment there was better far, Than what we had received, For of that foul den and old Swims, We were indeed relieved; They said we were the bravest Yanks That they had ever caught, George Wilson told them that we were The poorest of the lot. 62 He told them that if we were lost No one would make a fuss, That Mitchel sent us out because He had no use for us; A man who heard these words of George, Said to him laughingly, "I cannot quite believe that tale, I guess that is a lie?" One day among our visitors, A man dressed up in gray, Came and conversed with Andrews, then Proceeded on his way; When once alone we asked Andrews, What was the reason why That Rebel came and talked with him, He said, "That was a spy." 63 A Union spy had been with us, Had talked with Andrews too, We hoped that he'd get safely out And to our lines pass through; Whether he reached the Union lines All safe, we never heard, Of him we never heard again, No, not a single word. Three days only were we allowed. In that place to remain, Then orders came to take us back To our den again; Back to that filthy hole again. The thought was horrible. It seemed almost like journeying From heaven down to hell. 64 But Captain Laws, an honest man, Made efforts to remove Us not into the hole again, But to the room above; Ahhough the space was just the same, We did not now despair, For we were now above the ground, With plenty of h-esh air. Old Swims objected to this change. And made a dreadful fuss, Although he had the guards with him. He was afraid of us; Even though we w^re handcuffed. We often heard him say, That evil would be sure to come Upon them all some day. 65 Colonel Cleibnrne had once asked Permission to remove Our handcuffs, but the officers Would not of it approve; But he allowed us to go out, Accompanied by a guard, And spend an hour or two each day Within the small jail yard. I managed at my first arrest. To cunningly deceive My pocket searchers, I had slipped My knife into my sleeve; With it we soon carved out of bone, A number of rude keys. With which we managed to unlock Our old handcuffs with ease. 66 But we believed the Rebels soon, Would hang us every one, That to escape a dreadful doom, Something must soon be done; We planned that when the guards would come As usual us to feed, To wrest their muskets from them, then Run ofif at rapid speed. We had our plans completely laid, Had fixed the very day, When Captain Laws came in and took Twelve of our band away ; 1 happened to be one of them, We were to be arranged For trial and they said likely, We twelve would be exchanged. 67 We left nine soldiers and Andrews Who was our greatest pride, Said he, "I'll meet you boys at last On Jordon's other side." Then with sad hearts we left him there. In that dark, cruel place, Not one of us e'er saw again His brave and noble face. 68 Cbaptcr X. A GREAT SORROW. ^HE history of those left behind, We now will first relate, How bravely, like a soldier true, Poor Andrews met his fate. At once the ten without delay, Resolved one thing to do, 'Twas in the plank just overhead, To cut a passage through. 69 Accordingly the same jack-knife, Which had carved out the keys, Was used each day to cut the hole, Which was not done with ease; Just then an incident occurred. Which caused more energy To be put forth to make the way To gain their liberty. Captain Laws came in one day, His face was deadly pale, He held a paper in his hand Which told the dreadful tale; He handed it to Andrews, who Glancing at it walked away Into his cell, his comrades stood, Not knowing what to say. 70 The explanation Andrews gave, While each one held his breath, Was, that in one short week he would Be led forth to his death; The sorrow which it gave to them Was indescribable. Each bosom of those nine brave men With sorrow seemed to swell. There yet remained one gleam of hope, Which I will now relate, 'Twas to break out of jail and flee And thus escape the fate; Accordingly they worked away Till nearly morning light. When Andrews quietly crept out And ran with all his might. 71 Unfortunately for him when He jumped into the yard, A piece of brick fell to the ground And thus alarmed the guard, Who started up and with the cry Of halt ! discharged his gun, But Andrews quickly cleared the fence And started on a run. He ran into a wood and there Climbed up into a tree, Thus all day long he there remained In sight of the city; A thorough search was made for him, But him they failed to see For no one in the crowd once thought Of searching in the tree. 72 When night came on he swam across The river which was near, He traveled on until he saw The dawn of morn appear; He saw a tree not far away And crossed an open field, Intending to climb into it And lie all day concealed. Alas for him ! he was observed, Again compelled to flee, He hastened to an island near And climbed into a tree; A party with some hounds pursued, And he compelled to swim, Was overtaken by a boat And thus they captured him. 73 The wretched man was taken back To that foul prison den, They fettered him for fear he might Escape from them again; A scaffold was prepared for him As that dark day drew nigh, They were afraid to hang him there For fear of sympathy. Accordingly they transferred him, On execution day. From Chattanooga southward to Atlanta far away; His comrades were all taken too, They were placed in a room, But brave Andrews was led away To meet his fatal doom. 74 The fortitude which he displayed, Amazed the Rebel horde, x-Ml stood in silence and no one Was heard to speak a word ; The rope was placed around his neck, His sorrows soon were ended, His body was interred near by, His brave soul high ascended. Thus ended that brave, noble man, Who planned that daring raid, Which was the most exciting one That man had ever made; The virtues of that noble man Are known both near and far, He planned the greatest enterprise Of our great Civil War. 75 Chapter XI. A SEVENFOLD MURDER. fHE other twelve were taken to A place they called Knoxville, Where Captain Fry, a prisoner From a town by name Greenville, Was placed among our little band Whom they would now soon try, And if convicted every one Would be compelled to die. 76 We had been there not many days Before our trials came, The charge preferred against us was With every one the same; We were accused of being spies, And on that charge were tried, But we declared we were soldiers, Their charges we denied. One of our band each day was tried, Thus seven days passed by. There yet remained just five of us Whom they had yet to try; But something happened to prevent The trials of the five. And thus it happens that I'm here Today preserved alive. 77 The news was brought that Mitchel had Advanced upon the town Of Chattanooga, and with shells, Was knocking houses down; A guard came to our prison soon And took us all away, Down to Atlanta where we were For many weeks to stay. Our handcuffs there were taken off, We thought the worst was o'er, There we remained and for a week, Our lot with patience bore; How little did we think that soon The darkest of all crimes Would be committed by the Rebs Of our modern times. 78 'Twas on the eighteenth day of June, In eighteen sixty-two, We noticed that some cavalrymen Near to the prison drew; They were some Rebel cavalry, What could their coming mean? A guard around the house was placed, Which could be plainly seen. The jailor came, unlocked our door. We stood amazed and still. While those who had been tried while we Were stationed at Knoxville, Were taken outside of our room. The door was closed behind, What would be done? that was the thought Which came into my mind. 79 Soon our door was opened and George Wilson entered first, His arms were firmly bound, alas ! The fiends had done their worst. In a low whisper some one asked, 'What can the matter be?" Said he, ''We are all to be hanged. And that immediately." Behind him came the others, tied. They thus were led away And put to death by murderers, On that dark summer day; The man who executed them Was Colonel Foracre, Whom every loyal Southerner Will call a murderer. 80 When on the scaffold, Wilson asked Permission to be heard, Saying that before he died. He wished to say a word; Then in prophetic tones he spoke Unto that Rebel throng, "I bear no grudge, but you are all Engaged in a great wrong. "Although you have condemned me and Will hang me as a spy, I am a soldier and do not Regret at all to die; But you will all live to regret That you took part at all In this rebellion, for your cause Is destined sure to fall. 8i "And you will see the Stars and Stripes Float o'er this very place Where you today commit a crime Which will your name disgrace." Thus Wilson spoke, while the whole throng In silence held their breath, The trap was sprung which was to hurl The seven men to death. Then followed a disgusting scene, Slavens, also Campbell, Broke their ropes and fell down to The ground, insensible; When they recovered they asked to have An hour in which to pray, Before into eternity, They would be hurled away. 82 They were denied this mild request, And soon they both were hurled Into the presence of their Judge, In that celestial world. Thus did those noble heroes die, They sleep beneath the sod, Their spirits let us hope have gone To dwell above with God. We five who still remained untried, Were filled with gloom and fear For we had little doubt but that Our end was drawing near; Few words were spoken, we all sat Like men in deep despair, Slowly the time passed by, at last Some one suggested prayer. 83 Accordingly we all knelt down, And Captain Fry prayed first, And while he prayed he sobbed and cried As if his heart would burst; How earnestly we prayed to God Upon that lonely night, Beseeching Him to shed upon Our hearts some rays of light. 84 Chapter Xll. LIBERTY OR DEATH. HE Other nine of our band Were placed with us again, So that with them and Captain Fry, We numbered now fifteen; There we remained not knowing when We too would meet our fate, But we resolved escape to make Before 'twould be too late. 85 Some thought we still had better wait, Perhaps we'd be exchanged, But we resolved to risk no more, And soon their minds were changed. For some one heard the jailer say, 'Those poor Yanks in that room, I feel so sorry for them all, For soon they'll meet their doom." These words were soon conveyed to us. No longer did we doubt But that we'd all be hanged unless We'd manage to break out; We planned that when the jailer came In with our evening meal, To seize him and then quietly Upon the guards to steal. 86 As soon therefore as he came in Fry stepped out through the door, As if it were a common thing He oft had done before; Said he, "A pleasant evening, sir!" The jailer looked confused, But Captain Fry said with a smile, As if he were amused. "We wish this evening to go out And take a little walk And breathe the pure October air And have a quiet talk; To stay in that close prison pen It will no longer do. Give me those keys and make no noise Or 'twill be worse for you." 87 The old man tried to call the guard, But Pittenger rushed out And placed his hand upon his mouth And thus suppressed his shout; Then came the rush of prisoners Out into the jail-yard, I ran ahead at once and seized The musket of a guard. Seven Rebels were on guard. Five we at once disarmed, The other two ran out and soon The neighborhood alarmed; Those in the yard now scaled the fence And ran with rapid strides While bullets from the Rebel's guns Fell harmless by their sides. 88 Captain Fry and nine of us Escaped into a wood, We halted there, against a tree, Panting for breath we stood; We did not stand long till some one Said in a tone quite low, 'Well boys it will not do to stay. Guess we had better go." The hardships which we all passed through, To tell I now will try. Although I have- not much to tell Concerning Captain Fry; I heard that after thirty days Had quietly passed by, Hemanaged to get to Nashville, And there remained safely. 89 We nine companions went in squads Which we thought would be best, Five went Northward, two went Southward, And two toward the West. Porter and Wollam traveled West, They traveled night and day Whene'er a wooded country chanced To lie right in their way. They often waded through large streams Or floated o'er on logs. One night while suffering from cold, They saw a nest of hogs; They drove the hogs from their warm nest, It was in dead of night, They took possession of the nest And slept till morning light. 90 They traveled many days without E'er having tasted food, Some nuts they found upon the trees Which tasted very good; For one whole week they had no bread And were obliged to fast, But being almost starved they reached The Union lines at last. Dorsey and Hawkins, the next pair. Fared better than the rest, I will let Dorsey tell his tale. For he can do it best; Although we do not here pretend To tell just everything, Yet in the story Dorsey wrote, He tells the following. 91 Chapter XIII. THE ESCAPE OF DORSEY AND HAWKINS. |E journeyed from the woods into An open field and lay All huddled in a group until About the break of day; All night we heard the baying of Some hounds not far away, So we concluded not to move Until the dawn of day. For many days we traveled on, We made a rapid flight, We hid by day and traveled in The cover of the night; We reached a river finally. We met some negroes there Who ferried us across the stream And never asked for fare. One of their number went and brought A lot of splendid food. To us you may indeed be sure It tasted very good; With thankful hearts we left our friends Again pursued our way. We traveled that entire night Until the break of day. 93 We found a barn with well filled mows, We entered it and lay Upon the fodder in the mow, And there we slept all day; As our bed was comfortable, We did not go away That night, but thought we would remain At least another day. A negro boy, hunting for eggs. Came to us where we lay. He ran away and we ran too. Not caring now to stay; We reached the River Hiawassee, W'e found a ru.de old boat, In this rude craft during the night We many miles did float. 94 When daylight came we hid our boat And cautiously we crept Upon a bed of leaves, by turns, Till afternoon we slept. At sundown we went to a house And asked them for some food, They gave to us a good square meal. Which tasted very good. That night we reached the river's mouth. We reached the Tennessee, We had to leave the river then, 'Twas for our safety; We heard that Bragg's army was near, We changed our course of flight. We fled into the mountain range And traveled all that nigrht. 95 We climbed a mountain high and steep And sat beneath a tree, But presently we saw below, A band of cavalry; We watched their baggage train go by, And shuddered oft with fear, Because the Rebels were so close, We hoped they'd disappear. When night came on we moved again, But very cautiously, And when the dawn of day appeared No Rebels could we see; We laid ourselves down on some leaves. While one of us would sleep, The other dared not close his eyes, But careful watch would keep. 96 We traveled on for two days more, Upon the second day, About sundown we heard a noise Not very far away; We saw some men not far away Engaged in chopping wood, We went down from the mountain height And asked them for some food. At first they all refused and said, That they were Union men, They soon found out that we were too, They entertained us then; This proved to be a station on The Underground Railway, A skilful man known as Red Fox, • Conducted us away. 97 He took us to the next station, And thus we were forwarded, We hoped those friends who helped us so. Would some day be rewarded ; In safety at last we reached Somerset, Kentucky, Just thirty-two days after we Had gained our liberty. The most romantic adventures Of all, were met by two, Alfred Wilson with poor Mark Wood Went southward and passed through Untold hardships because they feared The negroes would betray. And would not trust to them for food, Or guides upon the way. 98 Their object was to reach the Gulf And join the squadron there, And many times starvation seemed Them in the face to stare; Wilson shall the story tell, About himself and Wood, Which will, 1 think by every one, Be better understood. 99 O^ A% #^' ^1\ ^\ 111 %M ixi ^^ m Cbaptcr XIV. THE ESCAPE OF WILSON AND WOOD, FROM ATLANTA TO THE GULF. , jHILE Mark and I were on the fence, ^j A bullet struck near by, So close to me the splinters cut The flesh upon my thigh; I dropped upon the ground outside And yelled to Mark, "I'm hit!" "Get up and run," said he. "and keep No more account of it." loo In an instant I was on my feet, We ran with all our might, I placed my hand upon my thigh And found to my delight That I had only a slight wound And splinters made that wound, So off we ran while bullets struck Quite near us on the ground. We ran about a mile before We reached shelter at all, And then the trees were scattered so The shelter was but small; Like hunted stags eluding hounds. With stealth we dodged about, Debating which for safety. Would be the better route. lOI We very soon approached a road, But soon we heard the sound Of galloping horsemen, and we threw Ourselves upon the ground; They were so near us that we both Could very plainly see Their movements all, we saw that they Were Rebel cavalry. It was not long until there came Some squads of infantry, The infantry at once relieved The Rebel cavalry; The infantry were stationed near The place where we both lay, We found that if we would escape We could not long delay. 1 02 We crept across the road into An open field near by, Then started on a rapid run, We almost seemed to fly; We entered a thick piece of woods And lay down there to rest. Then we began to calculate Which route would be the best. We soon concluded to go South And join the blocking fleet. As we would not upon that route. So many Rebels meet; For none of them would likely think Of Yankees going South To join the squadron anchored near The Chattahoochee's mouth. 103 Accordingly we both set out As fast as we could travel, We spoke no words as we walked on As noiselessly as possible; We were so lame we scarce could walk, And Mark was very sick, We traveled leaning each upon A good, stout walking stick. Thus we traveled on that night. Both ragged and forlorn, Our journey that night took us through A field of standing corn ; We plucked some ears of corn and chewed It as we walked along, We did not stop at all to ask To whom it might belong. 104 When morning came we hid ourselves And lay down sore distressed, We were so near exhausted that We thought we'd better rest; When we awoke 'twas afternoon, We found our feet so sore, It seemed almost impossible To travel any more. However we both hobbled on. Doing the best we could. The corn which we had brought along Alone served us for food; When morning came, alas ! poor Mark Could scarcely walk at all, So dropping on his hands and knees He imdertook to crawl. 105 Some distance thus he crawled along, Then looking back at me, His look I never shall forget, He said despairingly, "Alf, such a life is but a curse, I'm sure I'd rather be Dead and lying in my grave, Then in such misery !" I urged him not to give up yet, Saying the worst was o'er, That we would soon the river reach, Where we could use the oar; Encouraged thus we struggled on And soon had cause to thank Our God, for we soon stood upon The Chattahoochee's bank. io6 Soon we discovered a small skiff Chained tightly to a tree, With a large stone we broke the lock And soon the skiff was free; We soon were gliding smoothly down The Chattahoochee stream, The trials which we had passed through Seemed now to us a dream. When morning came we ran our boat Into a small bayou And crept into a thicket near, Entirely hid from view; There we lay down upon some leaves. Like sheep lie in their nest, But the mosquitoes were so bad. We gained but little rest. 107 Four days and nights we traveled on, Having no bread to eat, So many times in dreams I saw A table spread so neat, Covered o'er with rich dainties, Biscuit, bread and cheese, In fact just everything one needs His hunger to appease. We saw a house upon the bank. The prospects now seemed good, So we determined to go in And ask them for some food ; They kindly furnished us a meal, And 'twas a splendid one. And not a single scrap was left When Mark and I had done. io8 Then thanking our generous friends We started on our way, For we were anxious to move on Without a long delay; The river now grew very rough, It now to us was plain That we must leave our boat and walk Upon the land again. We left our boat among the rocks And traveled on once more Until at last we saw a town And knew the worst was o'er; Columbus was the town we saw, If we could pass it by, We then could use the stream again And sail in safety. 109 As we approached the town we heard A constant clattering sound, Which did not cease during the night, We thought we'd look around; We soon perceived a gang of men Working with all their might. When morning came they did not cease, They worked both day and night. A large gunboat was being built To send down to the Bay, It was intended for to drive Our blocking fleet away; This boat we afterwards soon learned, Upon its first trip South, Blew up before it reached our fleet, When near Flint River's mouth. no We looked around until we found A cracked old leaky boat, We entered it and safe once more, We down the stream did float; We soon espied three splendid boats Tied up upon the shore. We soon decided that we'd sail Our leaky boat no more. We had just loosened the three boats. When down upon us came Three men with a large pack of dogs. With language rough, profane; 'We did not stop to bandy words," But shoved the boats into The water, so that they could not Immediately pursue. Ill Then jumping into one we rowed Directly up the stream, As if we'd gone back to the town. It did to them so seem; We made a circuit round about, Then sailed down stream again, We soon were out of hearing of The curses of those men. With open river and good boat, We thought our chances good For making our escape although Our stomachs yearned for food; We found some pumpkins in a field And feasted on the seeds. Although 'twas poor it helped somewhat To satisfy our needs. 112 Day after day we traveled on, Having but little food, One day we stopped and took a nap Upon a pile of wood; When we awoke somewhat refreshed, We saw a comic sight, A hundred alligators lay About us left and right. We were so hungry that we could Endure the pangs no more, We saw a house and left our boat Carelessly on the shore ; They gave us food, we started back To take our boat again ; Alas, it had been stolen by Some cruel, sinful men. "3 We perched ourselves upon a mound And there remained that night, It rained all night, we were indeed Then in a sorry plight; We lay there that entire night And part of the next day, When to our joy we found a boat And quickly rowed away. During the night we caught some fish Which we devoured raw, A sadder sight than poor Mark Wood, I'm sure I never saw; His eyes were sunken in his head. They had a fearful glare, I never shall forget the sight Poor Mark presented there. 114 The river now we plainly saw Grew wider every day, We soon concluded that we were Already in the Bay; We saw a cabin on the shore, I stopped to get a light For my old pipe, when I came back I found Mark looking bright. He'd found some sweet potatoes in A negro's small canoe, We now had nearly food enough To last our journey through; Soon afterwards I thought I saw Some dead trees far away. And thought no doubt they stood upon An island in the Bay. 115 We saw a sand-bar in the way, While we were passing through, Mark seized a muddy-looking lump Which he soon cut in two; I saw him put it to his mouth, Said I, "You starving Yank, What is that muddy lump you've picked From ofif that muddy bank?" "Taste this," said he, "and you will find We're in an oyster bed !" I tasted it and found it so, 'Twas true what he had said ; I now discovered something else, What I thought to be trees Were masts of ships, we saw our flag There floating in the breeze. ii6 We dropped our paddles in the boat, Stood up and screamed and cried, Mark wanted to jump overboard And swim against the tide; But I dissuaded him and we Rowed on with all our might, The hulls and smokestacks of the ships Were now plainly in sight. We rowed toward the largest ship. We heard a loud command, "Come to, there, sir!" and presently There came a loud demand, "Who are you, and how came you here?" We answered, "We are men Escaped from prison and we want To get back home again !" 117 We were received into the ship And well supplied with food, And deeply was the captain moved While gazing on poor Wood; He was indeed a sorry sight, Nothing but skin and bone. For many nights when fast asleep, He'd often start and moan. We soon returned to home and friends. With joy we were received. We both had long been mourned as dead, Of care they were relieved; Thus ended our romantic flight From that foul Rebel den, What we endured cannot be told By either tongue or pen. ii8 Chapter XV. THE ESCAPE OF BROWN AND MYSELF. fCj| NOW proceed to tell my tale, c^ What trials I passed through; At first we had three in our crowd Which soon reduced to two; Brown, Mason and myself were thrown Together in the flight, But Mason very sick became While in the woods that night. 119 He soon became so very weak He scarce could move a limb, We let him lean upon our arms And thus we carried him; But every day he grew much worse, We knew not what to do. He bade us leave him there alone And beat our own way through. We took him to a house near by, We were kindly received, They set some food before us which We ate and felt relieved; We told them that we had escaped From the Atlanta jail And now were trying to get North, They said we'd surely fail. 1 20 Just as we finished our good meal, Right in through the front door Came three stout men armed with shotguns, To capture us once more; But we determined that 'twould take More force than those three men To manage us and take us back To that foul den again. They thus spoke up, "Surrender now, We here demand of you," But Brown, who feared no man, replied, "We won't; now see if we do." At the same time we made a dash And through the back door sped. We ran toward a piece of woods A short distance ahead. 121 We kept the fence between us and The Rebels who rushed out Through the front door and leaped upon Their horses with a shout; The owner of the house ran out, A pack of hounds let loose, Before we could the woodland reach The hounds came up with us. We saw a place where loose stones lay And took a stand for fight, Determined that we'd kill the dogs. Or put them all to flight; We picked up stones, I judge each one. About a pound would weigh, We threw them at the pack of hounds And drove them all away. 122 But our pursuers now were near, We started on a run, As we had naught but stones for fight, While they each had a gun; We got into some brushwood soon, But that would not avail. Although the hounds dared not come near, They still followed our trail. We soon discovered a small creek And waded into it. By doing so we managed to The dogs and men outwit; Soon the expanse of timber hid The Rebels from our view, How long they kept pursuing us, I'm sure we never knew. 123 East of Atlanta, eighteen miles, We reached, on that same day, A place they called Stone Mountain, then We traveled none by day; But every night we traveled on, The North Star was our guide, And many times we were compelled In some safe place to hide. One time we traveled for six days With scarcely any food. We were so hungry that we chewed At times small bits of wood; The seventh day we caught a goose Which we devoured raw, We had hard work to pick it though. The like I never saw. 124 If any one e'er tried to pull The feathers from a goose, You know what trouble you have had To get the feathers loose; Unless you scald the goose 'tis hard To pull the feathers out, Of course we had no means to scald And had to pull without. Before night came we saw near by A drove of pigs half grown, We thought 'twould be a prize indeed If we could capture one; However we determined that To get one we would try, I took a club and stood behind A tree which stood near by. 125 Then with small bits of apple, Brown Coaxed one of them near me, I grasped my club with a firm hand And leaned against the tree; When he came near I darted forth And with one fearful blow With my stout club upon his head, I laid the piggie low. We found some fire in a field. We sat upon a log And built a fire there and had A feast on roasted hog; We carried with us what remained, And journeyed on our way And for a long time hunger's pangs It suflficed to allay. 126 We crossed the Chattahoochee soon And traveled on all day, We climbed the mountain and footsore Kept traveling on our way; While one would sleep the other kept A close watch by his side, Or as some say we always slept With one eye open wide. Although we knew it not we were, From friends not far away, By accident we came upon Some friends that very day; While crossing an old clearing near, We came upon a house, We both approached it cautiously And quiet as a mouse. 127 We saw two men upon the porch, We knew no two men could Arrest us if we first obtained A good square meal of food; We boldly asked them if they'd give Something to us to eat, The mistress soon prepared for us A rich, delightful treat. While we were eating she remarked, "I wish the Yankees would Come to our State, I really think Their cofifee tastes so good !" We told her that we thought so too, She eyed us closely then And said, "I really do believe That you are Yankee men !" 128 We soon found out that they were friends, And told them we were Yanks And had been members at one time Of Captain Mitchel's ranks. They entertained us royally, We stayed there until night, We took a rest, then by their help Continued our flight. This proved to be a branch upon The Underground Railway, That part they called the Southern branch. We did not long delay But traveled now more rapidly. The worst part now was past. In old Kentucky we arrived. In Somerset at last. 129 One month and nine days were consumed By us upon the way, 'Twas in October we broke out, Upon the sixteenth day; 'Twas on November twenty-fifth, We came to Somerset, Two happier men than Brown and I, We never since have met. Reluctantly we now return To the Atlanta pen. Where six recaptured of our gang Were taken back again, WilHam Pittenger shall tell The story for he knows Just how they fared until exchanged, 'Tis thus his story goes. 130 dbaptcr XVL FROM ATLANTA TO RICHMOND, LIBBY AND CASTLE THUNDER EXCHANGED AT LAST. ^i7^ OOR Mason who had fallen sick (pY Was placed with us again, In that pen we were not allowed Much longer to remain; They thought the jail no longer safe, They ordered us away Into the city barracks near. Without a long delay. 131 The weeks rolled by, there we remained Until December came, Each day in prison all that time Was spent about the same; At last some joyful news arrived. It was a joyful day, We were to be sent northward and Exchanged without delay. They put us into old box cars And thus we journeyed o'er That fatal road o'er which we ran About eight months before; When we at length came to Lynchburg, We lay by for a day. We missed connection on the road, Which caused the long delay. 132 While there a drunken Rebel said, "If we would grant no more Such quarter to the Yanks you'd find The war would soon be o'er." "No doubt," said I, "if such had been The rule you'd find it so, For we would surely have wiped out All Rebels long ago." Thence we were taken to Richmond And thought we'd be relieved Of further prison life, alas. We were greatly deceived ! We soon were marched along the streets, How far I could not tell. Before a large brick house we stopped. The famous Libby hell. 133 We were soon placed in that foul hole, But our stay was short, To Castle Thunder we were led, A terrible resort. Christmas came, still we remained. No word of our exchange Had yet reached us, we wondered when They would for it arrange. The month of February came. They called out our band And read our names, they said that list Had come from Yankee land; This gave us much encouragement, At last they had arranged That we six men would be among The next to be exchanged. 134 That joyful day it came at last, It was a joyful day When by exchange they took us from That filthy den away; 'Twas on the seventeenth of March, In eighteen sixty-three. When we the last of our gang Were set at liberty. We soon arrived at City Point And there we were exchanged, When we beheld the Stars and Stripes, We cheered like men deranged. We went on board a vessel, then Set sail for Washington, And were most cordially received By Secretary Stanton. 135 He then brought out six medals which He said we six had won, Young Parrot, as he well deserved, Was given the first one; He gave one hundred dollars to Each one of us also, And also transportation to Our homes in Ohio. 136 (Tbapter XVII. CONCLUSION. C^^HUS Mr. Knight his lecture gave q^^^ Of that small band so bold, But of their sufferings, "The half Has never yet been told." The War is over and once more The Blue and Gray unite In sounding praises of those boys Who died for what was right. 137 In Chattanooga you may see, In a graveyard that's nigh, A semi-circle where those eight Who lost their lives now lie; The gallows is no shame to them, Our nation speaks their praise, And eulogies of them are sung On our memorial days. A monument of granite stands Near where the heroes lie, Reared by the Buckeye State for those Who did not fear to die; A locomotive made of bronze. An emblem of the chase, Upon the base of granite stands. In a conspicuous place. 138 Nine of this brave and gallant band Are living yet today, Five of the fourteen who escaped Have since been called away; We hope that they now dwell with Him Who said that wars shall cease, No more to sufifer grief and pain, But dwell in joy and peace. k You scoffers who in ignorance Hoot at the G. A. R., Take up your books and read at once The history of the War; And if you are not bigoted. You will be heard to say, That those dear brave old Boys in Blue, We never can repay. 139 \,B Jfe'3 »