ORGANIZATION FOR A BREAK COMPLETED--THE ATTEMPTED BREAK--THE GUARD
DISARMED--TOO LATE, GO BACK--COLONEL RAULSTON SHOT.
Our organization being now perfected, and our plans matured, we lay down
that night, and held whispered consultations about our proposed future
operations. I have already stated that the prisoners occupied the second
and third floors of the building; the stairs being located in the
north-east corner, and at the foot of the lower flight, was a room about
twelve feet square, with a door leading to the street. In this room we
usually waited with pails, to be let out to bring water, wood and coal,
for the supply of the prison.
The next day everything seemed quiet, and at nine o'clock, when we were
fell in for count, nothing could be detected that would indicate that
anything unusual was contemplated.
During the forenoon, I had a long talk with Colonel Raulston, and General
Duffie, who both seemed to think that we had better be prepared, and hold
ourselves in readiness to take advantage of any favorable circumstance
that might occur, but that it was best for the present, to remain quiet,
and bide our time. What was my surprise then, while sitting with the
Colonel at dinner, to see a gunboat officer approach with his overcoat and
traps all on, and say, Colonel we are waiting for you, sir. The Colonel
replied, well, if that is all you are waiting for, you won't have long to
wait; and leaving his half-eaten dinner, got up, put on his overcoat, and
started down stairs.
About the same time, about a dozen or fifteen went down with pails, and
entered the room that opened on the street.
Colonel Raulston approached the guard near the foot of the stairs, and was
trying to trade boots with him, while General Duffie approached the one at
the back end of the room, and began bantering him for a trade; the
Colonel, and General, each wearing a pair of long riding boots, which was
something the average reb seemed to have a great weakness for.
The men with the pails, asked the sentry with whom Colonel Raulston was
talking, to call the Sergeant of guard and he called as usual--Sergeant of
the guard post number fo. Then Colonel Raulston gave the signal--now--when
simultaneously both he and the General, seized and floored their man.
Raulston placed his hand over his man's mouth, telling him to keep quiet
and he would not be hurt, while Duffie held his man by the throat, to
prevent him making any alarm. Lieutenant McGraw, 24th New York Cavalry,
who had been assigned to the duty, took the guns away from the guard, and
at the same time the officers from above commenced filing down the stairs.
The Sergeant came to answer the call, but he must have heard the scuffle,
for he only opened the door about two inches, when he slammed and locked
it again, and immediately called out the guard to surround the building.
Each officer had armed himself with a stick of stove wood, and all were
packed up and in marching order.
An attempt was made with these clubs to batter down the door, but it was a
heavy oak door, and would not yield to their blows. Satisfied that the
attempt was a failure, General Duffie called out, "Too late, go back!"
Owing to the fact that there was by this time quite a crowd down there,
and the stairs being only wide enough for two to go up abreast, it was
some time before all could reach the top.
Colonel Raulston and myself were the last to go up, and I had just reached
the landing, the Colonel who was three or four steps behind me, had
stopped to look out of the window, when the report of a gun rang out from
below, and he started suddenly, and hurrying past me, went up the next
flight, to the place he occupied on the floor above.
Although shot through the bowels, and at so short a range, strange as it
may seem, he did not fall or make any outcry; and it was not until some
time after, that I learned that he was wounded.
I subsequently learned by some of my comrades, that he went to the place
where he slept, took off his overcoat, opened his clothing and examined
the wound, saying as he lay down, "boys, I guess my goose is cooked."
Within a very few minutes, the guard led by the Colonel in command, filed
up the stairs, where they found every thing as quiet as though nothing had
occurred.
Some were playing checkers, backgammon or cards, some reading scraps of
newspapers, some washing dishes, and others smoking and talking; in fact,
the whole building had on its every day appearance, and no one would have
supposed that there had been the least disturbance.
It was really laughable to see the singular expression on the faces of the
guard, as they looked around upon the peaceful looking room. I sat in my
place just at the head of the stairs reading, and remember that one of the
fellows who followed the Colonel up, had his gun cocked, and with a good
deal of bluster, said, as he reached the landing: "Colonel, show me any
d--n Yank you want shot," to which the Colonel replied, sternly, "Put up
your gun, sir; I'll let you know when I want any shooting done." Colonel
Smith, who was in command of the Confederate prisons at Danville, was a
cool, brave man, and though strict in his prison regulations, was a humane
gentleman who would not voluntarily inflict any unnecessary hardships upon
those under his charge.
He and Col. Raulston had been great friends, and I believe they both
belonged to the Masonic order, Col. Smith often visiting Col. Raulston,
bringing him books to read, and showing him many courtesies which, though
perfectly consistent with his position, showed him to be a gentleman of
generous impulses. In fact, I heard Col. Raulston say that the most
distasteful duty he had promised to perform, was to go to Col. Smith's
office and secure him as a prisoner.
Guards were at once stationed about the rooms, and Colonel Smith proceeded
up stairs where Raulston lay bleeding, and questioned him in regard to the
affair.
This brave, unselfish officer, at once said, Colonel I am wholly
responsible for all that has occurred; I am the instigator of the whole
plot, and no one but me is to blame for what was attempted to be done, and
I alone if any one, deserve the punishment for this attempted outbreak.
He was immediately removed to the hospital, where all that skillful
surgery could accomplish was done to save his life, but the wound was of
such a nature, that neither skillful surgery, nor tender nursing was of
any avail, and on the 15th of December, he passed away--was mustered out.
The shot that terminated his life, was fired by the guard he had disarmed,
and the gun used, was the same one Raulston had taken from him, and had
returned after the failure of the attempted outbreak.
We all felt deeply mortified at the failure of our plot, but our greatest
sorrow was occasioned by the loss of so gallant and beloved an officer and
comrade.
Lieut. Leyden and myself asked permission of Col. Smith to be allowed to
go to the hospital and nurse him during his illness, offering to give our
parole for that privilege. I urged, that as Col. Raulston and myself were
both from the same place, and I was well acquainted with his family, it
would be a source of some comfort to them, to know that his last moments
were soothed by the presence of one of his comrades, who could receive
from him his last message to loved ones far away.
Our request was not granted, but we were assured that he should have every
attention shown him that was possible, and that all that medical skill and
science could accomplish, would be done to save his life.
Lieutenant McGraw, who was recognized by the guard as the one who relieved
them of their guns, while Colonel Raulston and General Duffie had them
down on the floor, was placed in solitary confinement for a few days, and
was then released without further punishment.
It was greatly feared that he would be shot for the prominent part he had
taken in the affair, and I now believe that he would have been more
severely punished, had not his dying Colonel interceded for him. There was
one rather amusing episode in this tragic affair, that caused some
merriment notwithstanding the fatal ending.
General Duffie was a Frenchman and did not speak very good English. While
he had his man down, with his fingers firmly clutched in his throat, to
prevent his giving the alarm, the man in his efforts to release himself
from this uncomfortable position, made a gurgling noise, which some of us
thought, might have caused the Sergeant to mistrust there was something
wrong.
The General in trying to explain, said in his broken English: "I try to
shut off ze wind, but ze more I chuck ze more he holly."
In a few days the affair blew over, and everything moved along as usual. I
have said, that two or three times a day, from fifteen to twenty prisoners
were allowed to pass out under guard, to carry water, wood and coal, for
use in the building.
I was often with this squad, for I was willing to do the work for the sake
of getting out, where I could get a breath of fresh air; besides I could
sometimes get a chance to buy something, that I could not otherwise
obtain. In going to the river for water, we passed an oven, where they
baked the cones for casting shell over. This oven was large enough to hold
two men, and the door was usually open.
Just before dark, we would go out to bring water for the night. Some would
have one pail, and some two. In coming back, we would halt when the head
of the column reached the oven, and sit our pails down to rest, and while
some one in the rear would attract the attention of the guard, one man at
the head would slip into the oven, and the man next to him would take up
his pail, and his absence would not be noticed, as they never counted us
on these occasions. When darkness came on, those who had thus escaped
would quietly cross the river and walk away.
To prevent them missing the absent, a hole was cut through the floor of
the upper room, and as soon as the Sergeant was through counting those on
the lower floor, a number corresponding to those who had escaped, would be
shoved up through this hole to be counted again on the upper floor; thus
keeping our count all right. A crowd would always be around the hole up
stairs, so that the Sergeant upon going up would not see what was going
on.
One fellow had his blanket spread over this hole, and would be lying down
there when the guard reached the room, so that it would have a natural
appearance, and would not attract any more attention than any other part
of the room. In this way some six or seven made their escape, and the
count was kept all right, by sending a corresponding number up through the
hole in the floor, and they were not missed for two or three weeks. In
fact the only reason we had to believe that they had been missed at all
was, that one day the reb Sergeant brought up his guard and counted us
over a second time, and after figuring up the count, counted us over
again, and seemed to still be unsatisfied, and repeated the count seven or
eight times. Every time the count came out all right, which seemed to
puzzle and perplex him terribly. He could not understand how it could be,
that he still had his full number of prisoners, while he seemed to have
positive evidence that half a dozen had escaped. His information was that
several had escaped, but his figures told him that we were all there.
Every time he counted us and found us all present, his perplexity
increased; for he seemed to have proven the falsity of the old saying,
"that figures can't lie." He finally concluded to fall us in on both
floors at once, and then he found he was short six or seven prisoners.
This seemed to puzzle him worse than ever, and I don't believe he has up
to this day found out, just how the thing was done. He certainly had not
at the time we left Danville. After this there was no effort made to have
the count overrun, and the use of that hole in the floor was abandoned.
All the time the different counts were going on, the officers, who of
course understood perfectly well what all the fuss was about, were
laughing and joking at the expense of the perplexed Sergeant, telling him
that it seemed to be as much enjoyment to him to count Yankee prisoners,
as it was for a miser to count his gold; asking all sorts of questions and
offering all sorts of suggestions to tease and annoy him.
As he would call upon us to fall in again for count, some one would say,
"well Sergeant what was the matter that time? Was there too many of us or
not enough? What kind of an arithmetic did you study when you went to
school? Let me figure that up for you. This is a new military rule you
adopt, turning out the guard every time the Sergeant comes in." Others
would say as they saw him coming up stairs again, "turn out the guard for
the commanding officer!" "Turn out the guard for the officer of the day!"
Others would attempt to beat the long roll on the floor, with sticks of
stove wood, or try to whistle, "Boots and Saddles," or the assembly. In
fact they all seemed to try to see how exasperating they could be.
The Sergeant, who by the way was a clever fellow, courteous and
gentlemanly in his demeanor towards us, took all of this chaffing, with as
good a grace as possible.
He tried hard to conceal his perplexity and the annoyance our joking
caused him, and with a determined look that seemed to say, "I'll unravel
this mystery if it takes all day," kept up the count until it came out as
he wanted it to, or as he seemed to know it ought to come out.