For those who might have listened to Robert Hewitt of the 5th Texas Infantry stories the listeners may have been spell bound.

Private Robert Hewitt was a very lucky soldier and in the right place at the right time.

According to Federal POW Records he was a resident of Liberty County, Texas and was age 44 born about 1819 and had a dark complexion with gray eyes and dark hair and had been a farmer prior to the war.

According to the 1860 United States census R. Hewitt, born about 1820 and born in Alabama and was living in Montgomery County, Texas which was adjacent to Liberty County and by occupation was a farmer. He appears to have been married to E. (A female) Hewitt also born in Alabama.

Compiled Military Service Records noted he was with Company D of the 5th Texas Infantry while Federal POW Records noted he was with Company B of the 5th Texas Infantry.

He was taken POW near Bunker Hill, Virginia about the 3rd week of July 1863 and sent to Camp Chase, Ohio by way of the Federal Prison at Wheeling, West Virginia and was at prison number 3 which would lead to his amazing story.

He was assigned with 17 others whom he shared a prison space.

On the night of September 19th 1863, 18 soldiers made their way to freedom by tunneling under the Camp Chase prison in which he was a member. From newspaper accounts of the escape the soldiers used a case knife to dig their way to freedom. When the Chase guards would made routine visits the soldiers would place a box over the hole and began playing cards. Sort of reminds me of a Hogan's Heroes ruse only with the Yankees.

At this time period it was not uncommon for soldiers to read Columbus newspapers while in prison. The Columbus Journal as an example would carry train schedules and times of departure and destinations from Columbus.

Prison number 3 was the eastern most prison at Camp Chase and the one closer to Columbus and the prison closer to the wall with the Columbus train depot being only 4 miles away. The guards did not notice their absence until roll call the next morning.

The Chase guards had a routine walking on top of the fence on a platform. The escapees waited for them to walk by and then one by one ran to freedom while the other stayed in wait safely out of sight of the Union guards. One soldier who had not been at Chase too long had trouble getting out of the hole and the others quickly made the hole a little larger.

I'll not say why I believe they took a train to Chillicothe, Ohio but there was a good reason and was only 50 miles south from Columbus, Ohio.

Steve French a Civil War author alerted me to this prison escape by tunneling. As far as I know this was the first documented prison escape by way of tunneling.

Private Robert Hewitt had indeed been in the right place at the right time. As far as I know all the Confederates made a successful prison escape back to Dixie. And Private Robert Hewitt as far as I know was the oldest prisoner to escape from Camp Chase and he did it the hard way one inch at a time.