Today in History:

245 Series I Volume XLIII-II Serial 91 - Shenandoah Valley Campaign Part II

Page 245 Chapter LV. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.

my left cheek. The bell rang, and I stopped the engine, and came out on deck. I there met two men, one of them bearing a globe lantern lit, and a revolver, and the other armed with two revolvers. This latter one asked me what was the matter with me. This was about 8 p. m. He passed me on board of the Parsons, saying to the man on guard at the gangway of the Parsons, "This is one of our prisoners." Mr. Woolford, a passenger on the Island Queen, and a prisoner on the Parsons, told the men who passed me on board the Parsons, that I was the engineer of the Island Queen, and should be permitted to remain on board the Island Queen to take care of the boilers. I was thereupon put back on the Island Queen, with a guard over me. One of the capturing party, who was called Captain Morgan, asked me where the valves were. I showed him the pony pipe in the hold, and he thereupon chopped it off. He then took a big sledge hammer and broke the big cock off the side of the boat and let the water in. Captain Morgan was aided by the man who stood guard over me, and they then passed me a second time on board the Parsons. Before this pipe was cut the guard had asked me how i was going to vote. I told him that I was going to vote for "Old Abe." He asked me what McClellan's chances were, and I replied that I thought he had none. After placing me on the Parsons they took the Island Queen in tow, towed her about five miles toward Kelly's Island, and then let go of her. We were then placed in the hold, and the capturing party seemed to be deliberating as to whether they should attack the Michigan. The boat was kept on her course to the mouth of the bay. She was then turned and went back toward Detroit, and I was landed with other men on Fighting Island.

his

HENRY x HAINES.

mark.

Subscribed and sworn before me.

WM. H. LUDLOW.

Aide-de-Camp and Asst. Inspector-General, Dept. of the East.

I saw the signal lights, red and blue, in the cabin, and lit. they had been taken from their place outside, so that the position of the Parsons could not be seen.

his

HENRY x HAINES.

mark.

C.

COUNTY CROWN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE,

Windsor, September 22, 1864.

ALFRED R. RUSSELL, Esq.,

U. S. District Attorney, Michigan, Detroit:

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I have received instructions from the Government at Quebec to spare no pains in bringing to justice the parties implicated in the crime of taking forcible possession of the steamer Philo Parsons, on Lake Erie, and in seizing and sinking the Island Queen. There is reason to believe that those parties have fled from this neighborhood, and have proceeded to another part of Canada, or to the Lower Provinces. The principal difficulty in effecting arrests by our officers is the identification of the parties concerned. If, therefore, you will be good enough to secure the services of some of the crew of the Philo Parsons, who can identify those engaged in the


Page 245 Chapter LV. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.