From "A History of the Van Sickle Family, in the United States of America", © 1880.
John Sidney Van Sickle, the first child of Sarah (Bonnell) and DeWitt Clinton, was born in Clayton County, Iowa, October 17, 1837. He served four years in the late civil war, one year of which time he was confined in a Rebel prison. He enlisted May 24, 1861, in Company E, 13th Illinois Infantry. He was captured by the Rebel Gen. Rody, at Madison Station, near Huntsville, Alabama, on May 17th 1864, and was taken prisoner with others to Selma, where they remained about three weeks, when they were removed to Cahaba prison. There he had comfortable quarters for a while, until crowded by the arrival of other prisoners, when he was removed to Meridian, where he succeeded in making his escape by crawling through a tunnel the boys had dug for the occasion, and came near losing his life by being drowned in the water in the tunnel. He succeeded, however, in getting out with no clothing except his pantaloons to protect him from the cold; thus he traveled for five days through the swamps of Mississippi, the weather cold enough to freeze ice an inch thick, trying to get within the Union lines. Being thus unprotected he made but slow progress, and was soon recaptured and taken back to Meridian, where the prisoners were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and died off rapidly, while many of them were shot down for small offences. After remaining there awhile, he was removed to Cahaba, but the prison was so crowded that many were compelled to lie out of doors without clothing to protect their naked bodies, and to stand in water from two to three hours four feet deep, for four days when it was very cold, from the effects of which many died. From Cahaba the prisoners were removed to Selma, and from thence to Vicksburg, where they were paroled or exchanged.
John Sidney Van Sickle, the first child of Sarah (Bonnell) and DeWitt Clinton, was born in Clayton County, Iowa, October 17, 1837. He served four years in the late civil war, one year of which time he was confined in a Rebel prison. He enlisted May 24, 1861, in Company E, 13th Illinois Infantry. He was captured by the Rebel Gen. Rody, at Madison Station, near Huntsville, Alabama, on May 17th 1864, and was taken prisoner with others to Selma, where they remained about three weeks, when they were removed to Cahaba prison. There he had comfortable quarters for a while, until crowded by the arrival of other prisoners, when he was removed to Meridian, where he succeeded in making his escape by crawling through a tunnel the boys had dug for the occasion, and came near losing his life by being drowned in the water in the tunnel. He succeeded, however, in getting out with no clothing except his pantaloons to protect him from the cold; thus he traveled for five days through the swamps of Mississippi, the weather cold enough to freeze ice an inch thick, trying to get within the Union lines. Being thus unprotected he made but slow progress, and was soon recaptured and taken back to Meridian, where the prisoners were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and died off rapidly, while many of them were shot down for small offences. After remaining there awhile, he was removed to Cahaba, but the prison was so crowded that many were compelled to lie out of doors without clothing to protect their naked bodies, and to stand in water from two to three hours four feet deep, for four days when it was very cold, from the effects of which many died. From Cahaba the prisoners were removed to Selma, and from thence to Vicksburg, where they were paroled or exchanged.
From "A History of the Van Sickle Family, in the United States of America", © 1880.
John Sidney Van Sickle, the first child of Sarah (Bonnell) and DeWitt Clinton, was born in Clayton County, Iowa, October 17, 1837. He served four years in the late civil war, one year of which time he was confined in a Rebel prison. He enlisted May 24, 1861, in Company E, 13th Illinois Infantry. He was captured by the Rebel Gen. Rody, at Madison Station, near Huntsville, Alabama, on May 17th 1864, and was taken prisoner with others to Selma, where they remained about three weeks, when they were removed to Cahaba prison. There he had comfortable quarters for a while, until crowded by the arrival of other prisoners, when he was removed to Meridian, where he succeeded in making his escape by crawling through a tunnel the boys had dug for the occasion, and came near losing his life by being drowned in the water in the tunnel. He succeeded, however, in getting out with no clothing except his pantaloons to protect him from the cold; thus he traveled for five days through the swamps of Mississippi, the weather cold enough to freeze ice an inch thick, trying to get within the Union lines. Being thus unprotected he made but slow progress, and was soon recaptured and taken back to Meridian, where the prisoners were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and died off rapidly, while many of them were shot down for small offences. After remaining there awhile, he was removed to Cahaba, but the prison was so crowded that many were compelled to lie out of doors without clothing to protect their naked bodies, and to stand in water from two to three hours four feet deep, for four days when it was very cold, from the effects of which many died. From Cahaba the prisoners were removed to Selma, and from thence to Vicksburg, where they were paroled or exchanged.
John Sidney Van Sickle, the first child of Sarah (Bonnell) and DeWitt Clinton, was born in Clayton County, Iowa, October 17, 1837. He served four years in the late civil war, one year of which time he was confined in a Rebel prison. He enlisted May 24, 1861, in Company E, 13th Illinois Infantry. He was captured by the Rebel Gen. Rody, at Madison Station, near Huntsville, Alabama, on May 17th 1864, and was taken prisoner with others to Selma, where they remained about three weeks, when they were removed to Cahaba prison. There he had comfortable quarters for a while, until crowded by the arrival of other prisoners, when he was removed to Meridian, where he succeeded in making his escape by crawling through a tunnel the boys had dug for the occasion, and came near losing his life by being drowned in the water in the tunnel. He succeeded, however, in getting out with no clothing except his pantaloons to protect him from the cold; thus he traveled for five days through the swamps of Mississippi, the weather cold enough to freeze ice an inch thick, trying to get within the Union lines. Being thus unprotected he made but slow progress, and was soon recaptured and taken back to Meridian, where the prisoners were exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and died off rapidly, while many of them were shot down for small offences. After remaining there awhile, he was removed to Cahaba, but the prison was so crowded that many were compelled to lie out of doors without clothing to protect their naked bodies, and to stand in water from two to three hours four feet deep, for four days when it was very cold, from the effects of which many died. From Cahaba the prisoners were removed to Selma, and from thence to Vicksburg, where they were paroled or exchanged.
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