Newbern. If I had been one day later--well, we need not speculate upon
what might have been the result. I was forwarded under guard to
Newbern, going around the Sound on the same vessel which carried the
commanding officer. I was kept under guard by our own forces until I
was identified. This was in accordance with military usage. At Newbern
I was taken to the barracks, or building used for confining prisoners
of war taken by our own forces. The commanding officer was a colonel
of a Massachusetts regiment. I have lost his name. His wife was with
him and they were living in the adjoining building. The good woman,
happening to discover me as I was taken into the door, and being
attracted by the clothes I wore, and my "lean and hungry look," asked
her husband to bring me into the house. In response to her inquiries,
I gave her a brief account of my adventures. She kindly directed that
I should be supplied with soap and water and an opportunity to use
them and also secured from the Government stores a new suit of
clothing--all except a coat. The gray Confederate jacket I was wearing
was "scalded out" and thoroughly cleaned. That jacket is now in the
museum or relic room of the Court House at Washington, Pa., the only
memento in existence--except myself--of that memorable trip. She also
assigned me to a room and luxurious bed in her house while I remained
at that place.
What a pleasing change! From the immediate presence "of most
disastrous chances; of moving accidents by flood and field," to this
shelter and delightful rest.
Two days after coming into Newbern I went around by ocean transport to
Fort Monroe, and there I found Capt. W. H. Meyers, formerly from my
own county in Pennsylvania, who was acting provost marshal at that
point, who identified me and took me from under the charge of the
guard. I can so well remember how the captain's big heart rejoiced
when he discovered me and found he could render me so great a service.
Remaining over night with the captain, I was furnished transportation
by him, and the following day, being May 1, 1864, proceeded to
Pleasant Valley, near Harper's Ferry, where I found a part of my
regiment, under command of Colonel A. J. Greenfield. The colonel
kindly detailed a man to nurse me to health, and thanks to a rugged
constitution it was not long until I was again on duty. Remained in
active service with my regiment till the close of the war. With this
exception I never spent a day in hospital or failed to answer daily
roll call during my whole service in the army, which was three years
and three months.
I have earnestly endeavored to learn the fate of the boys who left the
car with me, but have failed. Two of them claimed to belong to the
Harris Light Cavalry, a New York regiment. I have been down through
North Carolina, over the tracks I made on that memorable march, and
have advertised in all papers likely to reach the ex-soldiers. I have
not much hope now, although stranger things have happened. The chances
for getting through were perhaps one in a hundred, on account of the
vigilance of the citizens of the so-called Confederacy. They were
always on the lookout for deserters, conscripts and runaway slaves.
The south was literally an armed camp. Every man, old and young, and,
I might say, woman and child, was in the service in some capacity. So
when a stranger was discovered they raised the alarm, and with shotgun
in hand and blood hound on the trail, gave chase. A man had little
chance against such odds.
As I approached the block house between the picket post and the bridge
I got a glimpse of the starry emblem. It was attached to a staff on
the top of the fort, and it appeared to me to embody everything that
was beautiful and good. It could have been no more welcome to a
luckless mariner afloat on a boundless sea without a compass than it
was to me. As the mists lifted it came into view amidst all the
splendor of a southern sunrise, and as its spotless colors rolled in
merry and playful billows across the sky my heart swelled with joy
unspeakable.
Now peace hovers over the land.
"No more are hostile standards reared,
Nor bugle note nor trump is heard--
The war drums cease:
The blue-coats scatter through the land;
The erewhile soldiers, plough in hand,
Of their own hard won fields demand
The earth's increase;
Or ply their skill with sharper zest,
Where shafts nor wheels nor halt nor rest;
O'er North and South and East and West
Broods White-winged Peace."
And it is the earnest wish of us all that it may be perpetual.
APPENDIX
HOW AND WHERE I WAS CAPTURED.
In September, 1863, Major Stevens, of the 1st W. Va. Vol. Infantry,
was occupying a position near Moorefield, Va., having six companies of
his own regiment, two pieces of artillery, and Capt. A. J. Barr's
company of cavalry (afterwards Company F, 22d Pa. Vol. Cav.). The
Major had received information that a force of the enemy was
approaching his post, and in order to secure as full intelligence as
possible of location, number, etc., scouting squads were sent out on
the different roads. Early on the morning of the 4th I was directed to
take command of a squad and go out on a road which wound its way for
several miles along the south fork of the Potomac river and which led
to and through Brock's Gap. My party consisted of William Jenkins,
John W. Manning, Abel Moore, John Penny, Corporal Samuel P. Hallam,
myself (at this time a sergeant) in command. Just as daylight was
breaking we reached a ford on the river, and on the opposite bank
discovered a mounted sentinel or picket belonging to the enemy's
force. Corporal Hallam was immediately sent back to camp, to report
the fact to the Major, and in the hope that we could capture this man
on the outpost, or some of the reserve, which must be near at hand, we
dashed across the river, and paying no heed to the shot he fired at us
spurred forward in hot pursuit as he withdrew. The shooting warned his
friends at the reserve post, and when we came upon their position they
were mounted and in full retreat. They greeted us with a volley as
they abandoned their post, but we kept up the pursuit until we drove
them into camp. Here we found their whole force, having been alarmed
at the firing, falling into line and in much confusion. We wheeled
about and got back across the river, and then feeling pretty secure
leisurely retired. A force of the enemy soon appeared at the ford, but
as they did not rush us we fell back in good order. Just as we were
beginning to feel that we would soon be near or in our own camp we met
a company of Confederate cavalry coming from that direction. This
proved to be McNeill's company of rangers under command of Lieut.
Jesse McNeill. Now, being caught between this force in front and the
one pursuing there was no possibility of escape. They closed up on us
from both directions, and in the midst of such a demonstration as only
such conditions could bring about they soon had the little squad
unhorsed. Two horses shot and Jenkins and Moore wounded were the only
casualties. This incident was one of the strange freaks of the
fortunes of war. Instead of capturing one or two of the rebels, as we
hoped, we, ourselves, fell into their hands. We were taken to
Richmond, Va., and put into Libby Prison, where we remained for two or
three weeks, then placed on Belle Island. In a stockade on this bare
island we remained during that cold winter of 1863-64, scantily
clothed and without other shelter from the chilling winds which swept
over the island. Three of this party lived to get back to the
North--Hallam, who got through with his message in the morning, but
was captured later the same day; John W. Manning, who was fortunate
enough to be included with a few hundred that were exchanged in April,
1864, and myself, escaped in March, 1864. Hallam had a long and
terrible experience in different prison pens in the South. He was
longest at Andersonville, and strange to relate, lived through more
than a year of privation and suffering at that place. He was released
by Gen. Sherman's army at the close of the war.
ADDENDA.
A most remarkable coincidence connected with this sketch happened
since it was first published. While I was engaged in the Civil Service
of the Government, in 1901, at Washington, D. C., I was rooming at the
house of Mrs. Kiel, No. 12 Sixth St., N. E, and there met Capt. T. T.
Westcott, a Confederate soldier, who held a position in the National
Capital by the favor of Senator Daniel, of Virginia. Mr. Westcott
lives in Accomac County, Va. While talking over our experiences in the
war, it was discovered that he was the officer in command of the very
train of cars from which I escaped. He well remembered the incident of
the departure of myself and friends on the night of March 6, 1864,
which he discovered the next morning when his train pulled into
Raleigh, N. C. He said he continued on with his load of human freight
to Andersonville, Ga.
_LIST OF CAPTURED._
The following is a list of the members of the regiment captured during
the war:
_Company A._--Sample S. Bane, died in Andersonville, Ga., April 1,
1864; James Gray, died at Salisbury prison, N. C.; C. L. Kinder,
exchanged; W. Laferty, died at Andersonville June 9, 1864; Joseph
Morton, died at Andersonville March 20, 1864; J. K. Robinson,
exchanged; A. M. Nicely, died at Salisbury, N. C., December 23, 1864;
*Jas. Crouch; Wm. H. White, killed in Manassas Gap by Moseby's
guerillas.
_Company B._--Hardman Gantz, died in Annapolis, Md., soon after
exchange; Raymond Gouse, died at Andersonville October 27, 1864; *And.
K. Reed; Andrew Smith, died at Andersonville October 17, 1864; *J. S.
Lindley, *L. K. Burncrots, *W. C. Wheeler.
_Company C._--Milton L. Davis, died at Andersonville July 5, 1864;
Jas. C. Smith, died at Andersonville October 1, 1864.
_Company D._--*E. H. Miller; W. H. Hickman, exchanged.
_Company E._--J. G. Byers, died in Andersonville.
_Company F._--H. H. Eller, died on Belle Island December 16, 1864;
William Vankirk, died at Andersonville September 21, 1864; James
Bradley, died at Richmond; David Campbell, died at Andersonville April
6, 1864; Peter Deems, died at Andersonville April 26, 1864; And.
Elliott, died at Richmond; W. P. Haynor, died at Richmond; Wm.
Jenkins, died at Richmond; N. B. Marsh, died at Richmond; M. G. Moore,
died at Andersonville July 29, 1864; Abel Moore, died at Richmond; A.
J. Scott, died at Andersonville; H. C. Slusher, exchanged; John
Manning, exchanged; John Fulton, exchanged; John Flowers, exchanged;
B. F. Hasson, escaped.
_Company G._--David Beatty, died at Andersonville, June 16, 1864; A.
J. Stottlemyer, exchanged; James Amous, died at Andersonville May 5,
1865; Thos. Bee, died at Andersonville June 14, 1864; J. Hardin,
exchanged; *George W. Johnson; *G. Marcy; C. Phillips, died at
Annapolis, Md.; O. P. States, exchanged; John Stiner, died at
Andersonville August 9, 1864.
NOTE.--The fate of those marked with a star (*) is unknown to me.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Italics indicated by _ markings
Obvious printing errors repaired
Alternate and idiosyncratic spellings
retained
'Sept 26, 1900' on title page was handwritten in original. Left as
found, since there was no date actually printed.
End of Project Gutenberg's Escape from the Confederacy, by Benjamin F. Hasson