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
As no incident in our travels particularly interesting, or worthy of
record, transpired for two or three nights or days, we pass on to
the events of a subsequent date. We will say, first, that during the
interval of time over which we pass without noting every circumstance
of our journey, we were very cautious. In the night-time, while
passing houses near the road, we maintained the strictest silence. We
walked carefully, and even then the dogs often discovered us, and made
the night dismal with their howling. We made it a rule not to allow
daylight to find us upon the road; but before we go much farther in
our narrative we will give an instance in which it did so find us. The
first rays of the sun generally shone upon us in our bed asleep. During
our waking hours in day-time, when hid in the lonely woods, we were
careful not to talk, or laugh out boisterously, knowing the liability
to be heard at a distance. We did not stand up or walk about a great
deal. When we had supplies there was no occasion to incur risks, or
purposely come in contact with any persons, black or white. We always
hid, if possible, where water would be convenient to us. We had fire in
day-time with which to broil our meat and make mush. During the day we
prepared our midnight lunch. When we were in a secure retreat for the
day we generally prepared a quantity of mush, for fear our hiding-place
next day would be in a place too much exposed to admit of fire or
smoke. In all our movements we tried to exercise the utmost caution.
As the distance between us and our prison became greater we became, if
possible, more cautious. The farther we got from prison the greater
would be our disappointment in being caught and taken back.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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