they should pass
the night. The villagers of Sylvania knew little of the sad realities of
war, having hitherto happily escaped the visits of the armed hosts. They
surrounded the men of the escort, and plied them with many curious
questions, which were good-naturedly answered with as much, or as little
exaggeration as good soldiers usually indulge in when confronted with
greenhorns. Their attention, thus agreeably occupied by the
simple-minded villagers, was in some degree removed from their charge,
and this little circumstance seemed propitious to Glazier, who was
watching intently his opportunity.

The sergeant had notified the prisoners that his foragers had returned
with a quantity of sweet potatoes and some corn-bread; that the former
would be issued to the "Yanks," and the latter to the guard. Orders
also were given to place all the food at one end of the porch, where a
fire had been kindled of rail fence; and the potatoes were to be served
to the prisoners from that point.

Glazier, under the pretence of desiring to use the fire for the purpose
of roasting the potatoes, obtained leave for all to remain outside on
the porch until after supper. This concession reluctantly granted, hope
sprang in his breast that the opportunity he so ardently sought was now
at hand. Quickly he determined upon his plan of operation, and seeing
Lieutenant John W. Wright, of the Tenth Iowa Volunteers, near him,
whispered in his ear an outline of his desperate project, and invited
the latter to join in putting it into execution. To this proposition,
without a moment's consideration, Wright consented.

The two candidates for freedom then sauntered towards the end of the
porch, conversing loudly and cheerfully upon general topics, and thus
excited no suspicion of their intentions. The hungry prisoners gathered
around the ration-board, when Glazier covertly signaled his companion,
and each suddenly clutched a good handful of the corn-bread. Under cover
of the increasing darkness, and screened from observation by the men who
stood between them and the guard, they quietly but rapidly, in a
stooping position, stole away, making for the edge of a neighboring
wood. Not a word was spoken, and in less time than it takes to record
it, they were concealed among the foliage and undergrowth; and,
befriended by the darkness, were completely masked from the observation
of the enemy.

Fortunately their flight was unobserved until after the distributi