. Abraham Lincoln and the battles of the Civil War . to the stout-heartedHamilton. This was to cut a hole in the backof the kitchen fire-place ; the incision must bejust far enough to preserve the opposite orhospital side intact. It must then be cut down-ward to a point below the level of the hospitalfloor, then eastward into Rat Hell, the com-pleted opening thus to describe the letter must be wide enough to let a man through,yet the wall must not be broken on the hos-pital side above the floor, nor marred on thecarpenters-shop side below it. Such a breakwould be fatal, for both of these
. Abraham Lincoln and the battles of the Civil War . to the stout-heartedHamilton. This was to cut a hole in the backof the kitchen fire-place ; the incision must bejust far enough to preserve the opposite orhospital side intact. It must then be cut down-ward to a point below the level of the hospitalfloor, then eastward into Rat Hell, the com-pleted opening thus to describe the letter must be wide enough to let a man through,yet the wall must not be broken on the hos-pital side above the floor, nor marred on thecarpenters-shop side below it. Such a breakwould be fatal, for both of these points wereconspicuously exposed to the view of the Con-federates every hour in the day. Moreover, itwas imperatively necessary that all trace ofthe beginning of the opening should be con-cealed, not only from the Confederate ofiicialsand guards, who were constantly passing thespot every day, but from the hundreds of un-initiated prisoners who crowded around thestove just in front of it from dawn till dark. 776 COLONEL ROSES TUNNEL AT LJBBY WORKING AT THE TUNNEL. Work could only be possible between thehours of ID at night, when the room was gen-erally abandoned by the prisoners because ofits inundated condition, and 4 oclock in themorning, when the earliest risers were againastir. It was necessary to do the work withan ohl jack-knife and one of the chisels pre-viously secured by Rose. It must be done indarkness and without noise, for a vigilant sen-tinel paced on the Carey street sidewalk justoutside the door and within ten feet of thefire-place. A rubber blanket was procured, andthe soot from the chimney carefully swept intoit. Hamilton, with his old knife, cut the mor-tar between the bricks and pried a dozen ofthem out, being careful to preserve themwhole. The rest of the incision was made in accord-ance with the design described, but no con-ception could have been formed beforehandof the sickening tediousness of cutting an Sshaped hole through a heavy wall with afee
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidabrah, booksubjectgenerals
