ON the first of April Frank received the following letter from his
father. It was the more welcome because nearly a month had elapsed
since anything had been received, and the whole family had become quite
anxious:
“Dear Frank,” the letter commenced, “you are no doubt feeling anxious on
account of my long silence. You will understand the cause of it when
I tell you that since the date of my last letter I have been for a
fortnight in the enemy's hands as a prisoner. Fortunately, I have
succeeded in effecting my escape. You will naturally be interested to
learn the particulars.
“Three weeks since, a lady occupying an estate about five miles distant
from our camp waited on our commanding officer and made an urgent
request to have a few soldiers detailed as a guard to protect her and
her property from molestation and loss. Our colonel was not at first
disposed to grant her request, but finally acceded to it, rather
reluctantly, declaring that it was all nonsense. I was selected, with
five other men, to serve as a guard. Mrs. Roberts--for this was her
name--appeared quite satisfied to find her request granted, and drove
slowly home under our escort.
“On arriving, we found a mansion in the old Virginia style, low in
elevation, broad upon the ground, and with a piazza extending along the
front. Surrounding it was a good-sized plantation. At a little distance
from the house was a row of negro huts. These were mostly vacant, the
former occupants having secured their freedom by taking refuge within
our lines.
“As sergeant in command--you must know that I have been promoted--I
inquired of Mrs. Roberts what danger she apprehended. Her answers were
vague and unsatisfactory. However, she seemed disposed to treat me very
civilly, and at nine o'clock invited the whole party into the house to
partake of a little refreshment. This invitation was very welcome to
soldiers who had not for months partaken of anything better than camp
fare. It was all the more acceptable because outside a cold rain was
falling, and the mod was deep and miry.
“In the dining-room we found a plentiful meal spread, including hot
coffee, hot corn bread, bacon, and other viands. We were not, however,
destined to take our supper in peace. As I was drinking my second cup
of coffee I thought I heard a noise outside, and remarked it to Mrs.
Roberts.
“'It is only the wind, sergeant,' said she, indifferently.
“It was not long before I became convinced that it was something more
serious. I ordered my men to stand to their arms, in spite of the urgent
protestations of the old lady, and marched them out upon the lawn, just
in time to be confronted by twenty or thirty men on horseback, clad in
the rebel uniform.
“Resistance against such odds would have been only productive of useless
loss of life, and with my little force I was compelled to surrender
myself a prisoner.
“Of course, I no longer doubted that we were the victims of a trick, and
had been lured by Mrs. Roberts purposely to be made prisoners. If I had
had any doubts on the subject, her conduct would have dissipated them.
She received our captors with open arms. They stepped into our places as
guests, and the house was thrown open to them. Our arms were taken from
us, our hands pinioned, and a scene of festivity ensued. A cask of wine
was brought up from the cellar, and the contents freely distributed
among the rebels, or gray backs, as we call them here.
“Once, as Mrs. Roberts passed through the little room where we were
confined, I said, 'Do you consider this honorable conduct, madam,
to lure us here by false representations, and then betray us to our
enemies?'
“'Yes, I do!' said she hotly. 'What business have you to come down
here and lay waste our territory? There is no true Southern woman but
despises you heartily, and would do as much as I have, and more, too.
You've got my son a prisoner in one of your Yankee prisons. When I heard
that he was taken, I swore to be revenged, and I have kept my word. I've
got ten for one, though he's worth a hundred such as you!'
“So saying, she swept out of the room, with a scornful look of triumph
in her eyes. The next day, as I afterward learned, she sent word to our
colonel that her house had been unexpectedly attacked by a large party
of the rebels, and that we had been taken prisoners. Her complicity was
suspected, but was not proved till our return to the camp. Of course, a
further guard, which she asked for, to divert suspicion, was refused.
“Meanwhile we were carried some twenty miles across the river, and
confined in a building which had formerly been used as a storehouse.
“The place was dark and gloomy. There were some dozen others who shared
our captivity. Here we had rather a doleful time. We were supplied with
food three times a day; but the supply was scanty, and we had meat
but once in two days. We gathered that it was intended to send us to
Richmond; but from day to day there was a delay in doing so. We decided
that our chance of escape would be much better then than after we
reached the rebel capital. We, therefore, formed a plan for defeating
the intentions of our captors.
“Though the building assigned to us as a prison consisted of two
stories, we were confined in the lower part. This was more favorable to
our designs. During the night we busied ourselves in loosening two of
the planks of the flooring, so that we could remove them at any time.
Then lowering two of our number into the cellar, we succeeded in
removing enough of the stone foundation to allow the escape of one man
at a time through the aperture. Our arrangements were hastened by the
assignment of a particular day on which we were to be transferred from
our prison, and conveyed to Richmond. Though we should have been glad to
enter the city under some circumstances, we did not feel very desirous
of going as prisoners of war.
“On the night selected we waited impatiently till midnight. Then, as
silently as possible, we removed the planking, and afterwards the
stones of the basement wall, and crept through one by one. All this was
effected so noiselessly that we were all out without creating any alarm.
We could hear the measured tramp of the sentinel, as he paced up and
down in front of the empty prison. We pictured to ourselves his surprise
when he discovered, the next morning, that we escaped under his nose
without his knowing it!
“I need not dwell upon the next twenty-four hours. The utmost vigilance
was required to elude the rebel pickets. At last, after nearly twenty
hours, during which we had nothing to eat, we walked into camp,
exhausted with hunger and fatigue, to the great joy of our comrades from
whom we had been absent a fortnight.
“On receiving information of the manner in which we had been captured,
our commanding officer at once despatched me with a detachment of men to
arrest Mrs. Roberts and her daughter. Her surprise and dismay at seeing
me whom she supposed safe in Richmond were intense. She is still under
arrest.
“I suppose our campaign will open as soon as the roads are dried up. The
mud in Virginia is much more formidable than at the North, and presents
an insuperable, perhaps I should say an unfathomable, obstacle to active
operations. I hope General Grant will succeed in taking Vicksburg. The
loss of that important stronghold would be a great blow to the rebels.
“You ask me, in your last letter, whether I see much of the contrabands.
I have talked with a considerable number. One, a very intelligent
fellow, had been very much trusted by his master, and had accompanied
him to various parts of the South. I asked him the question: 'Is it
true that there are a considerable number of slaves who would prefer to
remain in their present condition to becoming free?'
“'Nebber see any such niggers, massa,' he answered, shaking his head
decisively. 'We all want to be free. My old massa treated me kindly, but
I'd a left him any minute to be my own man.'
“I hope the time will soon come, when, from Canada to the Gulf, there
will not be a single black who is not his own man. We in the army are
doing what we can, but we must be backed up by those who stay at home.
My own feeling is that slavery has received its death-blow. It may
continue to live for some years, but it has fallen from its pomp and
pride of place. It is tottering to its fall. What shall be done with
the negroes in the transition state will be a problem for statesmen to
consider. I don't think we need fear the consequences of doing right,
and on this subject there can be no doubt of what is right; The apparent
insensibility and brutish ignorance which we find among some of the
slaves will wear away under happier influences.
“There is a little fellow of perhaps a dozen years who comes into our
camp and runs of errands and does little services for the men. Yesterday
morning he came to my tent, and with a grin, said to me, 'De ol' man
died last night.'
“'What, your father?' I inquired in surprise.
“'Yes, massa,' with another grin: 'Goin' to tote him off dis mornin'.'
“As he only lived a quarter of a mile off, I got permission to go over
to the house, or cabin, where Scip's father had lived.
“The outer door was open, and I entered without knocking. A woman was
bending over a washtub at the back part of the room. I looked around me
for the body, but could see no indication of anything having happened
out of the ordinary course.
“I thought it possible that Scip had deceived me, and accordingly spoke
to the woman, inquiring if she was Scip's mother.
“She replied in the affirmative.
“'And where is his father?' I next inquired.
“'Oh, he's done dead,' she said, continuing her washing.
“'When did he die?'
“'Las' night, massa.'
“'And where is the body?'
“'Toted off, massa, very first t'ing dis mornin'.'
“In spite of this case of apparent insensibility, the negro's family
attachments are quite as warm naturally as our own. They have little
reason, indeed, to mourn over the loss of a husband or father, since, in
most cases, it is the only portal to the freedom which they covet. The
separation of families, too, tends, of course, to weaken family ties.
While I write these words I cannot help recalling our own happy home,
and longing for an hour, if not more, of your society. I am glad that
you find Mr. Morton so agreeable an inmate. You ought to feel quite
indebted him for his assistance in your studies. I am glad you have
formed a boy's company. It is very desirable that the elements of
military science should be understood even by boys, since upon them must
soon devolve the defense of their country from any blows that may
be directed against her, whether by foes from within or enemies from
abroad.
“The coming season will be a busy one with you. When you receive this
letter it will be about time for you to begin to plow whatever land is
to be planted. As I suggested in my first letter from camp, I should
like you to devote some space-perhaps half an acre-to the culture of
onions. We find them very useful for promoting health in the army. They
are quite high on account of the largely increased demand, so that it
will be a good crop for financial reasons.”
(Here followed some directions with regard to the spring planting, which
we omit, as not likely to interest our readers.) The letter ended thus:
“It is nearly time for me to mail this letter, and it is already much
longer than I intended to write. May God keep you all in health and
happiness is the fervent wish of
“Your affectionate father,
“HENRY FROST.”
The intelligence that their father had been a prisoner made quite a
sensation among the children. Charlie declared that Mrs. Roberts was a
wicked woman, and he was glad she was put in prison--an expression of
joy in which the rest fully participated.