Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/370

 366 Southern Jlixtoricul Society Papers.

Of these 600 officers, a list of the Virginians is given herewith, among whom will be found the name of Second Lieutenant C. F. Crisp, loth Infantry, Luray, Page county. This second lieutenant was the late Speaker of the House of Representatives. Among others of the 600 not named with the Virginians, but well-known in Richmond, were Captain Thomas Pinckney, 4th cavalry, Charleston, S. C., and Colonel A. Fulkerson, 63rd Tennessee Infantry, Rogers- ville.

The only Richmond man in the lot was Second Lieutenant S. H. Hawes, Page's Virginia Battery. The story of the transportation and life of the 600 is told by Captain F. C. Barnes, then second lieutenant 56th Virginia Infantry, and Captain R. E. Frayser, signal officer, New Kent county. During a recent visit to Richmond, Captain Barnes, who is now an honored citizen of Chase City, was induced to give the following account of his experiences:

CAPTAIN BARNES' STORY. Captain Barnes said:

I was captured in Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, Pa., on July 3, 1863. There my prison life commenced. After confinement in sev- eral prisons, I was taken to Johnson Island, Lake Erie, which was a prison exclusively for commissioned officers.

On the gth of February, 1864, the names of 600 officers from lieutenant to colonel were called, and when we responded were placed in line and marched to the wharf, and there carried over to Sandusky in Ohio. None were aware of their destination, but supposed we were selected for exchange.

We remained all night' in Sandusky, where it was very cold, but we were comfortable and enjoyed some privileges, not being strictly guarded. We left the next day on a train, and when we landed it was in Philadelphia.

There we were imprisoned in the State Armory, where we were comfortable. We staid there some weeks, and then were under strict guard by negro soldiers.

We left there on the i6th of June on a steamer for Washington city. On the way a plan was devised to seize the guard, capture the boat and run ashore. All were united, but the plot was foiled by the boat running up under a fort on the river. The commanding officer must have had some intimation or suspicion of our purpose, for from the fort, a gunboat went up the river with our steamer.

Arriving in Washington we were taken to the Old Capitol, where