From the Richmond Sentinel, 11/16/1863

Castle Thunder. - On Saturday morning about two o'clock, some twenty-five Yankee deserters succeeding in making their escape from this place. These prisoners were confined in a room on the second floor in the rear of the building, through the floor of which they cut a passage, and descended to the room below, which was used by Mr. J. H. Greanor as a store room for his tobacco fixtures. From this room they then cut through the fire place, and dug under an alley, oven fifteen feet in width, a hole of sufficient size to admit of the easy passage of man's body, calculating the distance so nicely that they emerged into Mr. Sinton's lot, (which is beyond the alley,) about one foot beyond the fence. Their escape was then easily made. We feel perfectly assured, from a personal inspection of the hole dug by them, that these fellows once belonged to a company of sappers and miners, or that they had heretofore had some experience of the comforts of Northern prisons. Up to 12 o'clock M., on Saturday, two of them had been recaptured while making their way to the peninsula; and it is more than probable that the whole of them will, ere many days elapse be restored to their quarters. We do not consider that, under the circumstances, any blame can be attached to those who are in charge, being an escape which the utmost vigilance could hardly avert.

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