THE ESCAPE OF OFFICERS FROM PRISONS AND A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THOSE WHO
DIED THERE.
CONCLUSION.
In the Spring of 1864 the most of our officers who were then in prison
where changed to various prisons throughout the South, some of them
making the entire circuit of Libby, Raleigh, Macon, Savannah, Charleston
and Columbia.
Two officers escaped by means of the “streight tunnel,” and Col. Wilson,
Lieut. Col. Hunter, Capt. Chamberlin, and two or three others were
exchanged and sent North, and, soon after, joined the regiment; while
the greater portion of the remainder made their escape from some of the
above named prisons and at different times. All of them, in fact, save
Lieut. M. H. Smith, who was released by Gen. Sherman, on his celebrated
march to the Sea, and Captains Riggs and Bender, who died there from
cruel treatment. And, in-as-much as the escapes were all very similar,
it will be necessary only to recount a few of them.
Captain Randolph escaped from Columbia, South Carolina, during the
Summer of ’64; by floating down the Santee river on a flat-boat, with
several others, and, after a voyage of nearly one month, reached our
fleet—blockading its mouth. On the trip they passed under several
railroad bridges guarded by soldiers, the sentinels being in plain
sight. Their plan was to float down the river at night, using long
“sweeps” to force the boat through the water. As soon as daylight came,
they would lay by for the day, secreting their boat, as best they could,
among willows, or brush of some description. As a matter of course, they
_foraged_ for their rations, or had colored men to do it for them. Sweet
potatoes were in abundance; and, with young chickens, or a pig from a
neighboring farmyard, a very fair meal could be gotten up.
On the 3d of November Lieutenants Colver and Boyce, observing that the
guards were very slack in watching the prisoners who were permitted to
go to a wood near by for fuel, thought that the time had come to attempt
their escape; so they, in company with another officer, resolved to try
it. Getting all ready, they walked out—as though they had given their
parole—and kept right on to the woods, and, as soon as they were under
cover, secreted themselves until after dark, when, taking the North Star
as their guide, they struck out for East Tennessee—distant about four
hundred miles. After having traveled six days, they suddenly came upon
some Rebel cavalry; and, while the other two were parlaying with them,
Lieut. Colver made off through the woods and escaped. He then had three
hundred miles to travel alone, but, by the never-failing aid of the
negro, he, after traveling thirty days—or rather nights—reached our
lines at Charleston, East Tennessee, and was soon at home in Ohio.
November 26th, ’64, Capt. Rosenbaum and Lieut. T. W. Boyce made their
escape from Columbia in the same manner that Lieut. Boyce did the time
he started out with Lieut. Colver, and their journeyings were of a
similar character. Lieut. Boyce, who had been over the ground part of
the way once before, knew about the direction to take. They made East
Tennessee their objective point. It was in the dead of winter, and the
ground was covered with sleet and snow for the most of the way, making
very bad walking, besides not contributing greatly to the comfort of
sleeping out of doors. However, after many narrow escapes and almost
superhuman exertions, they arrived in our lines in safety—though pretty
nearly worn out—on the 26th of December, having been just one month on
the trip.
Capt. William H. Bender, of Company I was wounded at Winchester, June
15th, ’63, and taken to Richmond, remaining there until May 7th, ’64.
From there he was taken to Macon, Georgia, thence to Savannah, where he
was taken down with fever. He recovered, somewhat, and was then taken to
Charleston and placed under “fire” in the city jail yard. On September
4th he was sent to Columbia, where he was taken down with “yellow
fever.” Receiving no medical aid for twenty-four hours after being taken
sick, he died on the morning of the 8th, a victim of Southern cruelty
and neglect. He was a good soldier, a gallant officer, and a gentleman
_always_.
Capt. Charles H. Riggs was born at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1835. He was,
therefore, at the time of his enlistment, twenty-seven years of age. He
was agent of the Cleveland and Toledo railroad at Sandusky, a position
which he filled well and ably, being well liked by the entire community
and highly esteemed by the men of the road. Thus, young, loved and
prosperous, he left with his command for the seat of war, alas! never to
return. Always deporting himself as a true soldier and Christian
gentleman, he possessed the esteem of his men and the confidence of his
superior officers. Cool and brave in the hour of danger, he had none of
the bravado spirit, that courts battle in the quiet camp, or anticipates
brave deeds to be accomplished. He was taken prisoner with his command
at Winchester, June 15th, 1863. Not of a sanguine temperament, he seemed
to think from the very first that he never again would behold the free
North or the faces of dear ones at home—which unhappy sentiment of
course little fitted him to bear up under the hardships, privations and
diseases incident to a prisoner of war. Early attacked with a chronic
complaint—from which he never seemed to rally—after long months of
suffering, he breathed his brave, young life away on the 15th day of
September, 1864, in the hospital at Charleston, amid the thunderings of
cannon hurling missiles of destruction upon the doomed city, where first
the flag of treason was flung insultingly to the breeze. Many a heart
was made sad in the regiment at the news of his death; it seemed as
though a brother had been taken from us. Groups of men upon the company
street could be seen moving listlessly along, talking over the sad
intelligence. What then must have been the sorrow of his family at home?
Poor, stricken ones, our hearts bled for you then as we sympathize with
you now. A dutiful son, a loving brother, a brave soldier, and a true
friend—well may be said of him:
“Green be the turf above thee, friend of my better days,
None knew thee but to love thee, nor named thee but to praise.”
Many more events and episodes of deepest interest to us might be
narrated, did space permit. Of the tiresome marches, the sleepless
nights, and the lonely picket posts, in the dead of winter, no pen can
fittingly the story relate. No! Only in your meetings can you even
faintly outline the unwritten history of your soldier lives. The
sufferings, the danger, and the privations so patiently born, you
yourselves can only know.
By these memories so holy, by our brave ones gone, by the defeats
sustained, and victories gloriously won, let us hope that the Union,
which it was our fortunes to help sustain and preserve, may remain
unbroken forever.
FINIS.
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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Added Table of Contents.
2. Did not correct spellings of names.
3. Changed “a in cornfield” to “a cornfield” on p. 88.
4. Changed “Selden M. Beard, wounded at Newmarket May 15, ” to
“Selden M. Beard, wounded at Newmarket May 15, 1864.” on p. 179.
5. Silently corrected typographical errors.
6. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.
7. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.