Part 24 (1/2)

The following gave me unlimited access to our prisoners confined in the city jail:

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, Dec. 19, 1864.

Col. Thomas C. James, Warden, City Jail.

The bearer, Lieut. H. B. Smith, 5th N. Y. H. Arty., who commands my detective Corps, is permitted to see any prisoner in the City Jail who belongs to this office, and at such times as he may deem necessary for the good of the service.

He will be permitted to have private interviews if he desires them.

By command of Major General Wallace.

JOHN WOOLLEY, Lt. Col. & Pro. Marshal.

FILE XXVIII.

Statements: Jeremiah Artis, a real deserter from the Confederates--William J. Bradley, an honest refugee--Charles E. Langley, an official Confederate spy--Langley, personating a correspondent of the New York ”Tribune,” was a most successful and dangerous spy.

I have told you that it required experience and skill to determine who were honest deserters, sick of the Confederate service, and seeking homes in our lines, or who were refugees, ent.i.tled to a refuge, or who were spies. Under the head of spies were placed those who came North to visit friends, or gain a remount intending to return to the Confederate lines; these latter were not being especially employed as spies, but they were persons who might carry valuable information. But it was the real official spy that we were after.

By a ”remount” I mean those who were granted leave of absence by the Confederates for the purpose of remounting. These were mounted men who having lost their horses, were given a ”remount pa.s.s” which was practically authority to come within our lines and gain a horse by any means; therefore without desire to weary you I will give you the examinations of one of each cla.s.s, to wit: Jeremiah Artis, a real deserter; Wm. J. Bradley, a refugee; Charles E. Langley, one of the most expert and successful official spies, who is the one I referred to in the Emmerich case as the ”pal” of the conductor on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.

In reading these statements, you will notice jumps, or gaps, where these occur; it indicates a question from me eliciting the statement following.

Statement of Jeremiah Artis (real deserter).

”I kept store in Smithville, St. Mary's County, seven or eight miles from Point Lookout, about one and a half miles from the Bay. I joined the 1st Va. Cav., then was transferred to the 1st Md. Cav., was then transferred to the 2nd Md. Infty., Com'd by Capt. Crane. Lt. Col. Herbert is the field officer. I left Md. Sep. 1861, crossed the Potomac at night. I first heard of the President's proclamation, saw it in a Baltimore paper sometime early in the spring of 1864, the paper was an old one. I was in Maryland at the battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg, was also at Gettysburg, was transferred from Cavalry to Infantry but wouldn't stay, rejoined the Cavalry, was with Bradley T. Johnson at Chambersburg; had no hand in burning it, was kept outside of the city. I had been arrested while trying to cross the Potomac in July, was kept in Richmond awhile, then sent to my Regiment. Got as far as Winchester when Early came into Maryland. When I was arrested, I was trying to get home to stay; was on the Virginia side at the time I was arrested by the conscription officers. When I was in Maryland I would have deserted but had no chance.

I left my Regiment this last time about Sept. 22 or 23d, in the Shenandoah Valley, near Port Republic, crossed Brown's Gap, then through Green County, Madison, Orange, Spottsylvania, Stafford, King George, Westmorland Counties, to Northumberland County to the Potomac River, crossed over to Britton's Bay. I had no furlough or pa.s.s. The Confederate Army was moving at the time and I had no trouble in going through the country.

If I had been arrested I would have said I belonged to no regiment, as my time was out. I walked from Britton's Bay direct to the Patuxent River to Spencer's Wharf, and took steamboat to Baltimore, arrived there at 11 at night and slept at a hotel; next morning I reported to the Provost Marshal's office. I had no uniform except a jacket that I threw away in Virginia, near the river. I bought a coat from some young men I saw there.

D. Hammell came with me all the time. I expected when I reported to be allowed to take the oath of allegiance and to be allowed to remain at home. I prefer soldiering to anything else in the world, and if I was as strong a Southern man as I was when I first went away, I would stay in the Rebel army, no matter how much hards.h.i.+p I would have to endure. I think I could be a truly loyal citizen.

When I landed at Britton's Bay I did not go home because I wished to come to Baltimore and report. I knew there was a Provost Marshal to report to in Baltimore. Have seen no new recruits from Maryland in our regiment lately. We got a few recruits while in Maryland this last time. I did not know any of them, or where they were from; there were very few. I don't think our Company got any of them. Captain Brown was formerly our Captain; he was killed.”

Statement of William J. Bradley (a refugee), a Californian:

(Dec. 31, 1864.) ”I left Richmond, Virginia, on Dec. 11th. I was given the following directions and a pa.s.s by order of the Rebel Secretary of War, to come North; the directions were given by the Chief Signal Officer, viz: get off the cars at Milford, see Boles at Bowling Green, Gibbs at Port Royal, Rollins at Port Conway. I went to Oak Grove one and a half miles from the Signal Camp. The Signal Camp is on Bridge Creek, five miles from its mouth. At a point on the creek where there was an old bridge which was burned, is where you strike the road that leads to camp, which camp is about three hundred yards from the creek, and on the site of the birth place of Was.h.i.+ngton. They have a boat there in which they cross the Potomac; it is about twenty-six feet long, and capable of carrying about sixteen persons; they keep it about three-quarters of a mile above, on the creek.

At the Signal Camp I saw about twelve men, commanded by Sergeant Harry Brogden; they were armed with revolvers. They collect pa.s.ses that are granted in Richmond, run the mail and Rebel agents North, and back again. They told me they were expecting some twelve or fifteen parties back from Maryland again, very soon.

When I came over in the boat it was manned by four oarsmen and one steersman, and as pa.s.sengers, Norris, an Englishman and myself, and brought over a mail. We landed at Cobb Neck.

Morris said he would start back from the other side of the Wicomico.

The following are additional names of members of the Signal Corps: