Johnson County KS Archives Biographies.....Walker, Ralston 1841 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 20, 2008, 5:29 am

Author: Ed Blair (1915)

  Ralston Walker, a Civil war veteran and one of the extensive business property
owners of Olathe, has for forty-six years, been a resident of that city. Mr.
Walker was born in London, England, January 16, 1841, and when two years old
immigrated to Canada with his parents, George and Ruth (Briden) Walker. The
father was a farrier or veterinarian, and practiced his profession in Montreal,
Canada, about two years, when he removed, to Auburn, N. Y., and later to
Penfield. In 1846 the family went to Michigan and located at Coldwater, where
the father spent the balance of his life. The mother died at St. Joseph, Mich.
Ralston Walker is the only survivor of a family of eight children. He received
his education in the public schools of Coldwater, Mich., and when a youth
learned the. shoemaker's trade, and for a number of years worked at his trade at
various places in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, but like thousands of other young
men of the early sixties, his industrial career was interrupted by the call to
arms, when the signal gun was fired at Fort Sumpter. When the war broke out, he
was a member of a military organization known as the "Coldwater Zouaves." At the
President's first call for troops, the "Zouaves" volunteeered, and were mustered
into the United States service as Company C, First regiment, Michigan infantry.
They were sent directly to Washington, D. C, and from there to Alexander, Va.
They participated in the first battle of Bull Run and Mr. Walker's active field
service was cut short in that engagement. The remainder of his military service
was spent in Confederate military prisons. He was one of nearly a whole regiment
who were cut off from the main command and taken prisoners. He was confined in
various Confederate prisons including the Ross warehouse, Richmond, Charleston,
N. C, Columbus, S. C, Belle Island and Libby. While a prisoner of war he never
ceased planning a way to escape, and on two occasions he succeeded in getting
away by methods which demonstrated the courage of the daring soldier boy, as
well as unusual resourcefulness. He never could reconcile himself to prison life
contentment. While confined in the Ross warehouse, he took a chance and walked
between the guards whose backs were turned for the moment and succeeded in
making his escape for the time in the dark, and several hours later while
feeling his way along the river bank in search of a boat with which to make good
his escape, he ran into a guard and was returned to prison. His second attempt
to free himself from Southern prisons was at Columbus, S. C. He and two
comrades, George Drury and John Smails, after days of patient toil and carefully
laid plans, well executed, succeeded in making their way out of prison. They dug
a tunnel about twenty feet long, from a small shed where they were quartered, to
liberty outside of the prison stockade. They did their digging during the
nights. When everything was quiet, in the stillness and darkness of night, they
proceeded to take up a board in the floor, and carry the dirt back from the
excavation in a tin can. One of their greatest obstacles was to conceal the
dirt, but they succeeded in accomplishing this successfully. After a week their
tunnel was completed, and they selected the opportune time to escape, one dark,
rainy night, and their plans worked to perfection. At dawn, the next day, they
were safely hid in the country, quite a distance from the prison walls. They
continued to travel by night and hide by day, gradually making their way through
the enemy's country, toward the friendly lines of blue. They secured food from
negroes along the way, and slept in the brush in the day time. After being out
about two weeks, and having traveled a distance of about 140 miles, they were
discovered one morning, near Unionville, S. C, while hiding in the brush,
preparatory to crossing the river that night. Soon after being discovered they
were captured and shortly after sent to Bell Island prison and from there to
Libby. The capture of the three Yankees was a sensational affair that morning
near Unionville. When their presence was detected, the first move was to get all
the dogs in the vicinity after them, and, as a matter of self-preservation, the
three soldier boys were not long in getting out of the dog's reach, by climbing
trees, where they quietly remained until the dogs were called off and the
"Yanks" were invited to "come down the trees," by their newly found captors.
Shortly after being returned to prison, Mr. Walker was paroled and returned to
Washington where he was discharged from the service, May 20, 1862. He then
returned to his Michigan home, and worked at his trade in various places until
1869, when he came to Kansas, locating in Olathe. He came from Kansas City to
Olathe on the second train which was run to the latter town when the railroad
was completed to that point. Here he followed his trade for a number of years,
and, by close application to business and judicious investments, has accumulated
a handsome competence. Since 1900, Mr. Walker has devoted himself to looking
after his interests. He is one of the most extensive business property owners in
the city of Olathe, owning eight stores, which occupy the middle of the block
facing the public square on the south side of the court house. He is a stock
holder and a director in the Olathe Electric Light and Power Company, and one of
the progressive and public-spirited citizens of Johnson county. He is a member
of the Grand Army of the Republic, Franklin Post, No. 68.

Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF Johnson County Kansas
BY
ED BLAIR

AUTHOR OF
Kansas Zephyrs, Sunflower Sittings and Other Poems and Sketches

IN ONE VOLUME

ILLUSTRATED
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
1915


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