Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907 Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson's Escape As mentioned elsewhere, Lieutenant-Colonel Ole C. Johnson (Skipnes) was taken prisoner in the Battle of Chickamauga. After having spent almost a year in the notorious Libby Prison, where many Union soldiers suffered and died, he and his surviving comrades were to be transferred south to Andersonville to be held under lock and key for an indefinite time or to rot and die - in the hot and unhealthy swamp. Andersonville actually lies in such an area. The enlisted men were sent off first - in the view of the officers. According to O. A. Buslett, Johnson spoke of it thusly, "I can forget many things but I can never forget how our people looked as they marched past Libby on the way to the railway train to be sent south. Naturally the strongest came first, then those who were less strong and could¨not keep up with their comrades and then the column became more and more like a row of ghosts until finally the last came, supported by comrades and looking around with empty, wild eyes and like skeletons who neither knew nor cared where they went. This sight will follow me to my dying day and even now - after so many years - I get almost ill when I think about it. I consider this bitter, cruel, inhumane treatment of our prisoners an unforgivable crime by the rebel government, the blackest of all black marks on its escutcheon. It would not have cost the rebels anything to deliver to the prisoners what our government sent but instead of following the agreement, they stole the food and clothing from the prisoners who were starving and freezing to death." Finally the officers left. In Danville, where there was another rebel prison they stopped for a while. There Johnson met a Lieutenant Ericksen who had escaped once but who now was a prisoner again. Ericksen, like may others caught an illness that in a few years put him in his grave. Johnson and his group came to Charlotte, North Carolina in the morning of the 13th May (1864). Here they rested until 4 o'clock in the afternoon and it was here that he came to the conclusion to escape, whether to death or freedom. Until now his health had been good but the campaign had been hard all the time. The march from Murfreesboro to Louisville in the summer of 1862 when it was a race with General Bragg was more than human strength could endure; it continued night and day with little food and less water, not enough to drink. They had to lie down and satisfy their thirst in the worst mud puddles one can imagine. After the Perryville Battle they were out in constant rain and several inches of snow in a bitter fall wind without anything to creep under. The Murfreesboro and Chickamauga battles with their effort and suffering, the journey to Richmond and life in the prison - this all together took effect - so his health worsened with every day. Also while in Libby Johnson received an injury in a fall down some stairs that never properly healed. In these circumstances the last trip took much out of him and now he was tormented by a very common disease that the soldiers know well. He wished to step out of line and asked one of the guards with all politeness if he would allow it if a guard was sent with him. But the answer was a terrible curse followed by an order to get back in the ranks. Now his blood boiled so he shook with emotion and had he had a weapon he would have shot the man down even though he knew that the punishment for that would be instant death. It was then he made a solemn promise to escape. He laid down on the bank and began to meditate: How long would this last? Was such a life worth living? No decent man would treat an animal in such a way as we were now treated. Should he hold out with this any longer his manhood and self-respect would be destroyed. Certainly he had parents and siblings who would mourn his death - they already have grieved over the loss of a son and brother - but he himself had no family to maintain or leave behind. He decided to run away the next night or die in the attempt. He had made the acquaintance of a Captain Hunnicutt and Lieutenant Hodges of the 2nd East Tennessee Regiment and it seemed to him that these two would be good companions. They were also good, trustworthy men and knew something of the landscape and the nature of the people and their speech and behaviour would not betray them which Johnson's would do without doubt. He told them about his decision and they were very willing to join him. Naturally they were not transported in fine sleeping cars but in in battered freight cars. One door was locked and at the other stood 3 guards and the rest of the guard was on top of the roof. As soon as the train stopped they were sent down and patrolled around the train until it started again. The plan of the 3 prisoners was to get into the last car and when it became dark take their chances and jump off while the train was moving if they could not find another way. When the prisoners were later ordered to fall into line and march to the train, they took their place at the end of the column and when they reached the car, they saw an old ramshackle box of a car and decided that this was the right one and stationed themselves by the door so they would be the first to get in when the door was opened. Surprisingly there was a large hole in the floor, big enough that a man could creep through.* They immediately threw their blankets on it and sat down so not even the other prisoners - least of all the guards - knew anything about the hole. They were also lucky to have good-natured guards this time, as they were only youths and liked to talk about the girls. The 3 prisoners went along with this and consequently became good friends with the guards. A couple of times they were allowed to get off the train and they investigated as carefully as possible to see if the cars would pass over them if they lay flat on the railbed. There were now 10-12 cars hitched on since they went aboard. They came to the conclusion that it could not be done because the brakes were too close to the ground. The plan now became a matter of getting off the car at one or another station and lie still under the car. When the train began to move the guards would have enough to do to get back aboard. Then they would quietly slip outside and lie under the sides of the car, as close to the rails as possible. They had one of their comrades sit between the guards and the hole; there was just room enough for a man. Johnson made an arrangement with his 'son', Lieutenant Buffum - he was to write to Johnson's kinfolk with what he knew about the outcome of the attempt. After having supplied themselves with a half pound of corn bread and a pound of dried apples the three waited patiently for the opportunity. Between sunset and darkness the train stopped at a little station near Chester in South Carolina probably to be supplied with wood and water. Even though they wished it was darker - things could still be seen at a fair distance - they felt that the opportunity had come since no buildings could be seen, the landscape was wild and swampy and the forest came right to the edge of the rail line. They had no time to waste and Johnson made a sign to Lieutenant Hodges and Captain Hunnicutt and they dropped down. Now it seemed to be done. Captain H. was the most talkative and consequently the most intimate with the guards. When he was almost down and Johnson ready to follow, one of the guards turned half way around and asked the Captain a question. Naturally Johnson could not answer for him for then the whole matter would be discovered but the man who sat between the exit and the guard was quick-witted enough to say that the Captain was trying to get a little rest because he was very tired and the guard would perhaps not wish to disturb him. This had the desired result and Johnson disappeared through the hole. Immediately the bell rang, the wheels began to move slowly and the escapees had to jump outside the tracks. Lieutenant Hodges was the first and the others heard a half frightened, rough 'Watch out!' just as he went out and as if he had run into someone. Naturally, the others believed that he had run into one of the rebels and if they went out they would certainly be captured. They saw that there was good space between the ties - that were not well filled with gravel - so they laid down there and took their chances with the braking apparatus rather than the rebels. Later they found out that the Lieutenant had run into one of the train workers, a negro, who was frightened a bit - and probably had a suspicion of what was going on and climbed up on the train without any commotion. The Lieutenant felt a terrible anxiety for his two comrades as he lay beside the tracks while the train passed over them and he expected they would be torn to pieces. It was so narrow a space and the brake apparatus was so close that one of them turned Johnson over and tore the buttons off his soldier's blouse. The empty cars that were hitched on, as trying as they were, now served as protection since there were no guards on them except for a single man on the last one. The train had become quite fast before the cars passed over the escapees and he spotted them. He probably believed that they had been run over and called for the train to stop but it seems the engineer did not hear him. They now began to be somewhat excited and when the train was about 25-30 yards away, Hunnicutt and Johnson jumped up and ran off and Hodges who now saw they were not torn in pieces followed suit. But then the guard fired; the bullet just whistled past and spurred on the escapees. They felt it was certainly not a sort of farewell salute and the grass did not grow under the feet of the three men. The engineer heard the shot and the train was stopped but long before any pursuit could be organized the escapees were a good distance away in the underbrush, flew over a fence, running with all their might crossing an open field and then over another fence. But then they were so short of breath they had to fling themselves on the ground to catch their breath. It seemed that the rebels should be able to hear every gasp, so heavy was their breathing, and every rustling leaf was a rebel on their trail. The train stopped for about a half an hour and squadrons were sent out but without success for now it was beginning to get dark. Once again they were free! But now they had just as many difficulties to overcome as before. They were far in the enemy's territory with nothing more but what they wore. They meant to make their way through North Carolina and east Tennessee to Knoxville but they were here in South Carolina, the powerhouse of the blossoming poisonous flower of the times. From where they now were they had 200 to 400 miles to travel, first through swampy forest, later over high mountains, always in danger and nothing to eat. They could not let them themselves brood about it, they had now to go ahead and overcome everything and once they had rested a bit they began their journey. From Johnson's notes we add the following: "Tuesday the 17th: Last night was good but we only managed 6-7 miles because of weakness. We are impoverished to the extreme, the 8 months of imprisonment, the exposure and overexertion since our escape and 4 days without any sort of food has made it so we can do nothing. Tonight we must obtain some food, even if we are captured in the attempt for we cannot continue the march without food. One thing is certain at least, they will not take me back to prison." The first thing the escapees did was to ask if there were any whites nearby and received the answer that "Massa" was the nearest and he lived 2 miles away. The strangers then told that they were escaped Yankee prisoners who were almost dead of hunger and had to get something to eat. His wife brought out some cornbread and milk that they voraciously gulped down and she prepared to bake bread and fry some bacon. In the meantime the escapees told of the national events and matters in general but these blacks were very ignorant and dumb and they did not seem to care about anything. They knew there was a war for "young Massa was there" but they did not know what the war was about. The Captain understood the nature of negroes and let them know that the war was to liberate negro slaves and it was for that reason they had fought on the battlefield, been captured and escaped. If they now could get to the North and tell people the truth, great armies would be mustered and the slave's freedom would be at hand. Naturally this stretched the truth a bit but they understood some of it and brightened up significantly. And now the second course was finished; warm corn bread, fried eggs, bacon and milk! "An evening meal for a prince," as Johnson says and they loved it. They had not tasted eggs or milk for a long time and "a thousand dollars would not be accepted as payment for that meal if such an offer was made." The wife baked another corn loaf and gave them eggs and bacon that she and her husband were to have for a whole week. (The negroes had their rations distributed once a week and if it was gone before the time, they either starved or stole) They asked for no payment but Johnson gave the wife a little gold ring because she so willingly gave from their supply of bread and meat to the hungry fugitives who skulked about in the forest like criminals - and for what. Because they were prisoners of war in the enemy territory and because they fought and would still fight for the Union cause. During the day they lay hidden in the brush, when evening came they continued their journey and when they found the opportunity they sneaked to one or another negro hut to beg for food. It was the morning of the 1st of June. Since the 13th of May they had lain under the bushes in rain and cold weather during the day and at night they trudged in the wilderness and on muddy roads without anything to eat except for the pieces of bread and the little they could beg from the poor negroes and impoverished whites in enemy country. It was now with a sense of security and happiness they followed their guide into the forest's shelter, they were now among friends and what they needed would be given them, if there was any danger they would be warned. Naturally there was danger everywhere as they were still in rebel territory. Colonel Foote was stationed at Strawberry Plains and Johnson went straight to his headquarters where he was well received. It awakened great interest in the Colonel when he heard about Johnson's experiences amongst the rebels and exclaimed, "Well, you certainly do not look like a Colonel but that does not matter. I presume you wish to get back as quickly as possible," and he telegraphed General Kimball in Knoxville to send an extra train and by evening our fugitives were in that city. Now all the sorrows and hardships had come to an end. And after they were photographed, issued new clothing and borrowed some money, they felt like new persons. Now they were free, free after many months of imprisonment and a month's dangerous and arduous journey through swamps and morasses, over rivers and mountains, between the enemy and pursuers, in constant fear, hunger, want, suffering of all sorts so it was no wonder the the flag that waved to them that day at Strawberry Plains was so beautiful! As we have seen in the preceding biography in this book, Johnson was promoted to Colonel at the end of the war. *This hole had been sawn and had been used by escaping prisoners previously.