Civil War Thomas Hines

1 civil war

1.1 war experiences
1.2 1863

1.2.1 escape


1.3 northwest conspiracy
1.4 late war

civil war
early war experiences

hines joined confederate army, did @ least eleven of cousins. hines led buckner s guides , attached albert sidney johnston s command, fellow guides recognized coolness , leadership . in november 1861, given lieutenant s commission. on december 31, 1861, led successful mission borah s ferry, kentucky, attack union outpost there.

the guides disbanded in january 1862 after confederate government of kentucky fled bowling green, hines did not want fight anywhere except in kentucky. traveled richmond, virginia, , missed battle of shiloh result. in april, decided join brig. gen. john hunt morgan, , re-enlisted in army private in 9th kentucky cavalry in may 1862. morgan recognized hines talents , commissioned him captain on june 10, 1862. afterward, hines spent of time engaged in secret missions in beloved kentucky. dressed in civilian clothes, operated alone avoid drawing attention himself, not wanting executed spy.

on many of forays in kentucky, hines made special trips see loved ones. visit nancy sproule, childhood sweetheart , future bride, in brown s lock, near bowling green. on other occasions visited parents in lexington, kentucky. in both places, union spies attempted capture hines, escaped, after father had been captured , mother sick in bed.

1863


map of hines raid indiana

in june 1863, hines led invasion indiana 25 confederates posing union unit in pursuit of deserters. goal see if local copperheads support invasion of john hunt morgan planned july 1863. traveling through kentucky 8 days obtain supplies mission, crossed ohio river enter indiana, near village of derby, on june 18, 1863. hines visited local copperhead leader, dr. william a. bowles, in french lick, , learned there no formal support morgan s raid. on way kentucky, hines , men discovered in valeene, indiana, leading small skirmish near leavenworth, indiana, on little blue island. hines had abandon men swam across ohio river under gunfire.

after wandering around kentucky week, hines rejoined general morgan @ brandenburg, kentucky. colonel basil w. duke made disparaging comment in memoirs how hines appeared on brandenburg riverfront, saying hines apparently listless inoffensive youth ever imposed upon ; despite being morgan s second-in-command, colonel duke not told of espionage hines carrying out, causing believe hines , duke did not each other, not case.

it due hines riverboats alice dean , john t. mccombs captured purpose of transporting morgan s 2000+ men force across ohio river. hines reports encouraged morgan rough posing confederate sympathizer in indiana, morgan had been relying on support sympathizers in indiana successful on raid. hines stayed morgan until end of raid, , john hunt morgan during imprisonment, first @ johnson s island, , later @ ohio penitentiary outside downtown columbus, ohio, where, despite rules of war dictating prisoners of war should go military prison, put in common criminals.

escape

hines discovered way escape ohio penitentiary. had been reading novel les misérables , said inspired jean valjean , valjean s escapes through passages underneath paris, france. hines noticed how dry lower prison cells felt , how lacking in mold, though sunlight never shined there. caused him believe escape tunneling down possible. after discovering air chamber underneath them, had deduced, hines begun tunneling effort. tunnel eighteen inches wide, large enough him enter 4 foot 4 foot air chamber surrounded heavy masonry. hines , 6 others accompanied hines , john hunt morgan worked on tunnel, thin crust of dirt used hide tunneling prison officials. tunneled 6 weeks, tunnel s exit coming between inner , 25-foot (7.6 m) outer prison walls, near coal pile. on day of escape, november 26, 1863, morgan switched cells brother, colonel richard morgan. day chosen new union military commander coming columbus, , morgan knew prison cells inspected @ time. together, after daily midnight inspection, hines, john hunt morgan , 5 captains under morgan s command used tunnel escape. aided fact prison sentries sought shelter raging storm occurring @ time, confederate officers climbed 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) wall effortlessly, using metal hooks effect escape.

hines had left note warden. read: warden n. merion, faithful, vigilant follows: castle merion, cell no. 20. november 27, 1863. commencement, november 4, 1863. conclusion, november 20, 1863. hours labor per day, three. tools, 2 small knives. la patience est amere, mais son fruit est doux. order of 6 honorable confederates. left behind strip searched , moved different cells in ohio state penitentiary. 2 of officers escaped hines , morgan, captain ralph sheldon , captain samuel taylor, captured 4 days later in louisville, kentucky, other 3 (captain jacob bennett, captain l. d. hockersmith, , captain augustus magee) made escape canada , south.

hines led john hunt morgan confederate lines. first, arrived @ train station in downtown columbus, bought tickets cincinnati, ohio. duo jumped off train before entered cincinnati train station. continued evade capture in cincinnati, staying 1 night @ ben johnson house in bardstown, kentucky. in tennessee, hines diverted union troops attention away john hunt morgan, , himself recaptured , sentenced death hanging. escaped night telling stories soldier in charge of him , subdued him when given chance. few days later again escaped union soldiers intended hang him.

northwest conspiracy

hines went confederate capital of richmond, virginia, after escape in january 1864. convinced confederate president jefferson davis of plan instill mass panic in northern states, means of freeing prisoners , causing arson in larger northern cities. impressed hines plan, davis agreed him. davis urged hines tell secretary of state judah p. benjamin , secretary of war james seddon plan. both men agreed plan, , encouraged hines proceed, hesitation davis, benjamin , sheldon being effect on public opinion on such plan, including great britain , france think of hines actions.

hines thought easier enter north canada , traveled there during winter. hines led northwest conspiracy canada in fall of 1864. colonel benjamin anderson involved in plot, along other confederate soldiers. hoped hines , men able free confederate prisoners held @ camp douglas in chicago, illinois.

hines led sixty men toronto, ontario, on august 25, 1864. arrived during democratic party national convention held in chicago year. copperheads had told hines wait until time, said 50,000 copperheads there event. however, encountering copperhead hesitation assist hines , force, , federal authorities apparently knowledgeable of plot, hines , men forced flee chicago on august 30, 1864. many of men thought anderson may have been double agent, forcing him leave group. second attempt free camp douglas confederate prisoners occurred during united states presidential election of 1864, plan foiled.

in same year tried free confederate prisoners of war recruiting former members of morgan s raiders had escaped canada, including john hunt morgan s telegrapher george lightning ellsworth, native of canada. on last day in chicago, hines had avoid discovery union soldiers inspecting home hiding in crawling mattress upon homeowner s wife lay ill delirium. union soldiers inspected house in, , checked see if hines 1 lying on bed, did not discover hines in mattress. soldiers established guard door of house. rained next day, visitors encouraged visit sick woman. soldiers never looked @ faces under umbrellas, , result, hines sneaked out of house , left chicago.

late war

in october 1864, hines again went cincinnati, after crossing covertly through indiana, union troops had again sought him. time, of friends home hid in, hines concealed himself in old closet obscured mortar , red bricks, avoided detection union troops inspected house. hines learned there beloved nancy sproule in ohio convent. decided spirit it, , on november 10, 1864, @ st. mary s catholic church in covington, kentucky, married, despite father s wishes wait until war over, due hines wartime activities. spent week s honeymoon in kentucky, after hines returned clandestine activities in canada.

two days after lincoln s assassination, on april 16, 1865, hines in detroit, michigan, when mistaken john wilkes booth, subject of massive manhunt. after finding himself in fight, hines jumped several fences , made way detroit s wharf. waited ferryboat empty passengers , forced captain @ gunpoint take him across detroit river canada. on arrival, hines apologized captain , gave him 5 dollars. hines exploit led mistaken rumor booth had escaped canada.