Almost An Escape

While the steamer Evansville was wooding at Burlington, a secesh Captain among the prisoners escaped ashore unobserved. When the boat had gone about half an hour, the rebel Captain was missed, and the boat returned, the fellow was found at the Barrett House where he had got his supper, registered his name and was about to take a room. Very fortunate they discovered his absence so soon, or the bird would have flown.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, April 24, 1862, p. 2

Prisoners of War Going North

The steamer Evansville, from Cairo, arrived at Rock Island Yesterday afternoon, having on board 360 prisoners of war captured at Island No. 10, and a guard of twenty men, under Capt. O. C. Jenson. Of this number, 225 were sick and under the care of Dr. A. G. Quinlin, Surgeon of La Motte hospital, Cairo, assisted by a Confederate Surgeon, Dr. W. A. Martin, of Randolph, Tenn. The boat being too small for such a number of men, is of course uncomfortably crowded. The sick fill the state-rooms and are crowded along the cabin floor on each side as closely as their beds can be laid down. The are also stowed away on the deck, and even in the hold a number of the sufferers are packed together. Of course, such huddling together, with the attendant evils common to all hospitals, make the condition of the men truly heart-sickening to behold. Of the sick, ten have died since leaving Cairo, and one, a young man named Carpenter, was buried in Rock Island yesterday afternoon. He was from Nashville, and his father is said to be a very wealthy resident of that city. One of the prisoners is represented as the owner of 350 slaves. – He attempted to escape at Burlington, but was recaptured and brought back. The prisoners generally are pretty well satisfied with their experience of the war, and most of them seem to be decidedly averse to its further continuance. One man was telling a number of persons that he had been very well treated while in the Confederate army, and had received his pay regularly every two months, in Confederate money, because they preferred that; another who was standing by, an intelligent young man from North Alabama, said he had been in the Southern army eight months, and hadn’t seen any pay yet. This last person was particularly well satisfied with his position, and seemed to have no especial desire for an exchange before the war is over.

A large number of persons visited the boat, who distributed money and fruit among the sick. A number of Davenporters tried to induce those in charge of the boat to bring her over here, so that if they did our citizens would furnish the sick with delicacies and articles calculated to relieve their sufferings; but for some reason or other the officers of the boat did not see fit to do so.

The prisoners were nearly all taken from the hospitals near Island No. 10, and hence had no part in the contest at that point. They were on their way to Madison, Wis., via Prairie du Chien. Dr. Quinlin and his assistant appear to be well fitted for the delicate positions in which they are placed; and the former seems to be the impersonation of humanity and good nature. When the boat left the landing, the people on the shore bombarded the boat with apples, of which they kept up a much more pleasant cannonading to the recipients than that of the mortars at Island No. 10.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, April 23, 1862, p. 1

One of the Secesh prisoners . . .

. . . aboard of the boat yesterday, said when he enlisted he told his mam that he was going north, but d----d if this was not further north than he expected to go.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862

The steamer Evansville . . .

. . . with 360 Rebel Prisoners on board, from Island No. 10, and Lo Moth Hospital, bound for Prairie du Chien, came up yesterday afternoon, and while at the landing, wooding up, afforded a large number of citizens the opportunity of seeing a lot of genuine secesh. Through the politeness of the surgeon in charge, Dr. A. G. Quinlan, we were permitted to go on board and make a closer inspection than could be made from the shore. – Capt. O. C. Johnson, 15th Wisconsin with a guard of twenty men, constituted the escort. – The prisoners, as a general thing, were dirty and ignorant and possessed little of the bearing of soldiers, some wore semi uniforms of jeans and butternut homespun, and others were wrapped in blankets. About 250 of them were sick, and were stretched upon the lower deck, the floor in the cabin and in the state rooms. Nine have been buried since the boat left Cairo. Some of them seemed depressed and others satisfied with their lot. We conversed with an intelligent young man, who said he came from Alabama, not far from Montgomery. His company hand been in the service but a short time having been raised to fill up the First Alabama at Pensacola, but they were ordered to Island No. 10 and placed as a guard over the water batteries, which were spiked a few days before the surrender by a detachment sent from our gunboats. He stated that the rebel guard were compelled to wade in water to their breasts in order to reach the parapet upon which the guns were placed and many became sick in consequence. He, for one, was glad of the exchange.

There were many others of the same mind. – All were well satisfied with their treatment since their capture, and said it could not be better. Much amusement was created by a remark of one of them that, “you Northwestern men will fight, but your New England Yankees are another sort of men.” They seemed to have full faith in the ability of the hardy sons of the West but little in the Down Easters.

Three Rebel flags were exhibited, one of which bore the following inscription: “Mississippi Devils, presented by the ladies.” Another, a cavalry flag, “Victory or Death,” and the third “Alabama.”

The prisoners assisted in wooding, and the Surgeon informed us that they had done so during the trip. One fellow, whom we learned came originally from Vermont, and lately from Alabama, was extremely merry, and said he was only anxious to wood up in order to get the old tub up to Prairie Du Chien.

A number of ladies went on board, and some of them held interesting conversation with the Rebels, who seemed honored by their presence.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862