1863 Thomas Hines

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.