An Account of the Escape of Six Federal Soldiers from Prison at Danville, Va.Newlin, W. H. (William Henry)
History
An Account of the Escape of Six Federal Soldiers from Prison at Danville, Va.
Newlin, W. H. (William Henry)
Danville Prison; Prisoner-of-war escapes; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
In the case of leaving the second comrade, as described on pages
72-76, there was no option or time for deliberation. The exigencies of
the hour compelled a separation. Mr. Tripp succeeded in escaping the
notice of our pursuers, though hid in their immediate vicinity, and
hearing their talk enumerating reasons for their failure to "_take us
in_." After several days and nights of wandering and hiding, and of
varied and interesting experience, Mr. Tripp was recaptured, sent to
Richmond, kept there until September, 1864, was paroled, exchanged, and
discharged. He is now living near Burlington, Kansas.
John F. Wood died June 20, 1864, "of wounds received in action."
Referring to this, Sutherland, in a letter written not long since,
says: "What a pity Wood had to die so soon after escaping prison. But
he might have died a slow and miserable death at Andersonville had he
not escaped."
Sutherland is living in Michigan, near Eagle Station. Smith resides
at Dundee, same state. Mr. Smith very narrowly escaped drowning at
Craig's Creek. Mr. Sutherland's opportune landing on the opposite bank
of the rushing stream barely in time to extend to Smith a helping hand
is all that saved him. In addition to all others, we had the perils by
"_Bogus Yankees_" to encounter or avoid. We _risked_ our lives to save
them, and saving them we _risked_ them again and again for our country.
Having been captured in our third battle, by escaping, at least two of
us, added to the three, thirteen more. But all this was better than
Andersonville. We _might_ have been numbered among the MARTYRS of the
nineteenth century. "I would not make that trip again," said Smith,
"for the whole state of Michigan," adding "unless I had to."
DANVILLE, ILL., November 27, 1885. W. H. N.
INTRODUCTION.
In those "stirring times," during the late war, when powder, and ball,
and the bayonet were the orders of the day, an escape from prison
and a secret, hidden march through the Confederacy, was accounted an
exciting, as well as a very lucky event. Even at this day, accounts of
such are not stale, but possess a thrilling interest, especially to
those who participated in them and to their friends. Our journey over
mountain and valley, over hill and dale, and across rivers, branches,
and rivulets almost innumerable, was accomplished mostly in the night
time.
We had neither map nor compass to guide us. The north star alone served
us in shaping our course, and very often it was concealed by ominous
clouds. We took many needless steps, and made many needless and weary
miles in consequence of lack of knowledge of the country and of the
course we were steering. Sometimes the desolate hour of Winter's
midnight found us far from the public highway, and almost inextricably
involved in the brush and tangled mazes of the forest. At such times,
being almost at our wit's end, we would try to advance on a "bee line"
until the open country or some road was reached.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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