Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1869 — A Story of the War—A Hew Jersey Soldier. [ARTICLE]

A Story of the War—A Hew Jersey Soldier.

Colonel llbnky W. Sawyek, who ban lately been appointed Superintendent of the lifo-saving apparatus on the New Jersey coast, once passed through a very perilous adventure. He was aiuong the Federal prisoners in Libby Prison, at the time when the Confederate Government determined to retaliate in kind for the execution oftwo rebel officers by one of our Western Generals. Mr. Sawyer was at that time a captain in the First New Jersey cavalry, and was of the grade of officers from whom selections were to be made for the victims to Confederate vengeance. The officer who was in charge of the prisoners at that time was a. kind hearted and agreeable man, and was regarded by them with feelings of gratitude and affection. On the morning in question this officer entered the room where the prisoners were confined and told all the officers to walk out into another room. This order was obeyed with particular alacrity, as the prisoners were daily expecting to be exchanged, and it was supposed that the order Juad arrived, and that they were aDout to exchange their nrispn quarters for heme and freedom. Aftfer tney had all gathered in the room, their countenances lighted up with this agreeable hope, the officer came in among them, and, with a very grave face, took a paper out! of his atold that had a very THe purport of which would be better understock by the reading of the order he held in his hand, whichjbas had Juat. received from the War Department. He then proceeded to read to the amazed and horrified group, an order for the immediate execution oi two of their number, in retaliation for the hanging of two Confederate officers. As she reader ceased, the men looked at each other with blanched faces, and a silence like death prevailed for some minutes in the room. The Confederate officer then suggested that perhaps the better way would be to plac£ a number of slips of paper, equal to the whole number of officer* from whom the victims were to be selected, in a box, with the word “ dead” written on two of them, and the rest blank —the two who drew the fatal slips to be the doomed men. This plan was adopted, chaplain yas to prepare the men and if it proved a blank, taking their places in part of. the room. . The drawing had proceeded for some tame, and fully a third of the officers had exchanged gloomy looks of apprehension, for a relieved aspect they could not avoid showing, after escape from such terrible peril, before a fatal death slip had been drawn. At the end of about this period, however, the first slip was drawn, and the name of “ Captain Henry W. Sawyer, of the First New Jersey Cavalry,” was called out as the unfortunate man. The Captain was, of coarse, deeply agitated, but did not lose his self-possession. He immediately began revolving in his mind some plan for averting, or at least postponing the immediate carrying-out of the sanguinary edict of the rebel government, and by the time that he was joined by his companion in misfortune, who turned out to be a Captain Flynn, of an Jndiana regiment, he had resolved upon his course. The officers in command, as soon as the drawing was campleted, ordered the two men to be taken out and immediately executed. Captain Sawyer, however, demanded, as a request that no civilized nation could refuse under such circumstances, that he should have permission to write to his wife to inform her of the terrible fate that awaited him, and to have her come on and, bid him an eternal farewell Respite for a day or two was thus obtained, and Sawyer subsequently obtained an interview with the rebel Secretary of War, and secured permission to write to his wife, which he did. His object in writing to her was principally for onr government to be made acquainted with the predicament in which the two officers were placed, and to secure hostages and threaten retaliation should the order of the rebels be carried oat.

It turned out precisely as Sawyer hoped and expected. Our government was informed of the condition of affairs, and promptly seized a son of General Lee and one of some other prominent rebel,-and threatened to hang them if the Union officers were executed. By this means the lives of the two doomed men were saved,* as the Confederate government did not dare to carry out their threats. After a few months more confinement Captain Sawyer was exchanged. Captain Flynn, his companion in misfortune, came out of the ordeal with his hair as white as suow —turned gray by the mental sufferings he endured. Captain Sawyer in a week or two was as "good as new,” and served through the war. —Trenton Gazette.