Secretary; Lt. Col. Jere Williams, 25th Ohio; Dr. Spencer, (Streight's surgeon,) and Capt. B. F. Fisher, committee on resolutions. The speakers were Lt. Col. Irvin, 10th N. Y. Cav'y, Major Henry, 5th Ohio Cav'y, and the much-injured Streight. As I was not present, I am unable to speak knowingly of the proceedings, but from conversation we learned that Col. Streight made remarks of a most personal, abusive and threatening character; speaking in most discourteous terms of the writer, and offering to fight one or both of the parties assailed. The cause of all this ire, as far as we were able to discover, arose, not from our making a false statement, but in our proving Col. Streight to have done so; and the ground assumed by some of our opponents was, that we were not justified in rescuing an enemy's officer from a dilemma, even though he was in the right! To this we simply replied, "that, on being asked a straightforward question, we could only give a straightforward answer; and for one, I never feared to put in writing, what I had deliberately expressed orally. As regards an enemy's officer, where Justice and Truth were concerned, I recognized neither friend nor foe; and before my fealty to my country I owed an allegiance to my God. I was a man before I was a soldier, and had always been taught, that "justice should be done though the heavens fall!” Among the dissentients to our course, the most determined, and at the same time the most dignified, were Lt. Col. Williams, Major Bates, Major Henry, and Capt. Fisher, between all of whom and myself there sprung up a coldness which lasted for some time, but as time wore on, and our comforts. were increased, explanations took place, and reconciliation ensued. As a good deal of feeling very justly existed in regard to Lt. Jones' statement as to the satisfaction of his comrades towards the officers of the prison, the paper containing this expression was returned to us, and another, doing full justice to Mr. Burnham, personally, and to the conduct of the Confederacy generally, was substituted, and this "tempest in a teapot" subsided; although a considerable feeling of uneasiness prevailed for a long time as to the course I should pursue when released, the attention of the moving spirits be

ing especially called to the 26th Art. of the Revised Army Regulations.

During all this time my duties as Culinary Director were constantly increasing, every new comer, or "fresh fish," being turned over to me for instruction. At last a vast augmentation of our numbers took place, from the unlucky field of Chickamauga, giving us some three or four hundred officers additional, every one of whom was thrust into our quarters. For a day or two all regulations were set at nought, and disorder and confusion prevailed everywhere, but increased accommodations having been furnished us, I undertook to regulate the cooking department of the strangers, and in less than a week "all went merry as a marriage bell," barring of course the usual amount of bickering and ill temper. But this increased amount of work was rather too severe for me, and I was finally forced to succumb to a violent cold caught in the performance of my duties. For a few days I laid down in my quarters, on the floor, without the slightest medical attention, or necessary comforts; and in reply to my application to be sent to the hospital, was informed that it was so full, that it was impossible to accommodate as many as absolutely required to be there. But at length my friends became alarmed, and I was permitted to stagger down to the building, employed for that purpose, about a quarter of a mile below us. On arriving here, sick and exhausted, there was no bed ready for me, and it was only after a distressing delay, that I was enabled to secure one, (I mention these things merely to show the great consideration I was held in by the enemy.) Into this I immediately plunged, and remained almost senseless and motionless for thirty-six hours. On the second day, finding myself better after my long and comfortable repose, I rose and dressed myself, and for a short time conversed with my brother officers. I then prescribed for myself, took my own medicines, which I always carry with me, and again returned to my bed. The surgeon in charge, Dr. Siball, after examining me, and hearing what I had done, declined to interfere with my own treatment, and passed on. The next morning after the proper operation of my medicine, I found myself so much better that I concluded to return to

my quarters at the prison, influenced thereto by several reasons, first, because I found the groanings and distresses of my fellow-prisoners, both officers and privates, all occupying the same building, were so terrible as to depress my spirits,second, because the accommodations afforded the officers were so limited, as to prevent full justice being done to the really sick, and third, because all the operations of nature had to be performed in a filthy and disgusting place, in common with the private soldiers, who were by no means particular as to appearances or cleanliness. Making up "my kit," and distributing among the most needy, my stock of provisions, of which I had laid in a goodly store, I informed the surgeon of my desire to leave, and greatly against his advice, persisted in my determination, returning to my prison quarters on the third day.

During the few hours that I found myself sufficiently recovered to converse with my comrades, I related to a few of the prominent ones, Col. Powell, Col. Monroe Nichols, Capt. Skelton, and perhaps one or two others, some of the incidents of our prison life, and disclosed to some of them the outlines of a proposed plan of escape, which had grown into proportions from a suggestion made by myself, when it was expected that we should be removed from Richmond to Salisbury, N. C., owing to the scarcity of food in the former city. This idea had seized me shortly after my difficulty with Col. Streight, and having before my eyes a healthy fear of the penalties attached to a conspiracy to escape, when loss of life might eventuate, (see order No. 100,) and having no confidence in the warm feelings of my Southern friends towards me in case of conviction, I acted with that circumspection necessary to one who plots with his head in his hand.

Believing that Streight and his immediate associates had no personal love for me, and fearing also the enmity of certain men in my own quarters, whose insubordinate conduct and character had more than once brought them under my official displeasure, I stated my views very secretly and very charily. To Cols. Tilden, Cesnola, and Wilson, Lt. Cols. Rogers, Cavada, Walker, Spofford, Henry, and Hayes, and Majors

Russell, Henry, White, and Neeper, I was frank and open, leaving to them to elaborate the details, and select their aids.

asso

As originally devised, the plan was this: Selecting from the great mass a few brave and prudent men to act as field and line officers, the remainder were to be recruited, under the seal of secrecy, as non-commissioned officers and privates; each captain selecting his company from his own ciates, disclosing to each as much of the plan as would be deemed necessary to insure his hearty co-operation, and willingness to drill punctually and obey orders. Having an exaggerated opinion of Col. Cesnola at that moment, he was invited to take the leadership, whilst Col. Tilden and the other ranking officers were to constitute the line. I, myself, volunteering as a high private under Tilden. In the midst of our deliberations, however, the battle of Chickamauga occurred and swelled by its results the number of our comrades to about a thousand, while the sum total of the rank and file amounted to over ten thousand, one third of which were confined in tobacco warehouses directly opposite to us. As soon as we became sufficiently acquainted, the leading spirits of the Western Army, among them that gallant and lamented officer, Col. Bartleson, the pluckey and nettlesome Lefavour, the accomplished Carleton, and the indomitable Rose were taken into confidence, and, the question of removal being dropped, it was proposed to give a more extended character to our enterprise, and attempt with the aid of our own government, a feat of arms and strategy which should at once give us both liberty and renown. Being under the impression that there was a spy among us a not impossible event all our consultations resolved themselves into tete-a-tete interviews, Col. Cesnola being the common medium, to him being intrusted our various suggestions for the purpose of enabling him to elaborate and perfect the necessary details. Having obtained a map of the city, and learning the exact depots of arms and artillery, the places of rendezvous of the militia, the residence of the arch-fiend Davis, and his headdevils, Benjamin, Seddon, and others, and of the different members of Congress, when it should be convened, we cast about

to find means to apprise our own government of our intentions. At this juncture a rebel officer came to the prison and' obtained, in exchange for himself, the release of a federal officer of corresponding rank, he being a Lieutenant-Colonel on the staff of John Morgan. By right Lt. Col. Von Schrader, Lt. Col. J. F. Boyd, or myself were the only parties entitled to this exchange, but by some means Lt. Col. Irvin, of the 10th N. Y. Cavalry, was fortunate enough to be selected, and to him, as I learned from Cesnola, was confided the details of our plan, to be narrated to the government. In the meantime we quietly proceeded with our arrangements, and awaited some indications of the acquiescence of the military authorities at home.

During this interregnum it was that I was taken sick and carried to the hospital. The next or succeeding day after my return to my quarters, while still very weak and far from well, I was told by Col. Cesnola that Streight had been occupying himself in devising a plan of escape by which he proposed to carry off all the honors, deeming our scheme entirely too slow and too old fogyish for his ardent and enthusiastic temperament. The minutiae of his proposed exodus were simple and few. On a fixed night-shortly to arrive-the City Battallion, a military organization which had had charge of us heretofore, being withdrawn for a limited space for the purpose of improving themselves in drill and camp duty, their places being filled by Pickett's Division of veteran troops, the heroes of a hundred fights,--he and his chosen band were to break from the prison, overpower the guard, and, if strong enough, fire the city, and take the chances of capturing it, or of making their escape into our own lines. Taking into consideration that the city was full of militia; and that four thousand regulars were in convenient distance; that his one or two hundred heroes had no organization and no arms; with every avenue to our lines carefully guarded, and the means of concentrating the various regiments instantaneous; and with nothing to occupy their attention but the exciting chase after a hundred or two half-starved Yankee prisoners-I could not but regard such an idea as emanating from none but a lunatic