Libby Prison breakout : the daring escape from the notorious Civil War prison Joseph Wheelan

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wheelan, Joseph.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Libby Prison.

Prisoner-of-war escapes--Virginia--Richmond--History--19th century.

Prisoner-of-war escapes.

Tunnels--Virginia--Richmond--History--19th century.

Tunnels.

Prisoners of war--Virginia--Richmond--History--19th century.

Prisoners of war.

Prisoners of war--United States--History--19th century.

United States. Army--Officers--History--19th century.

United States.

Escaped prisoners of war--United States--History--19th century.

Escaped prisoners of war.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons.

Richmond (Va.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

Richmond (Va.).

Physical Description:

xii, 282 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 25 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : PublicAffairs, c2010.

Summary:

In a converted tobacco warehouse, Libby's 1,200 Union officers survived on cornbread and bug-infested soup, and slept without blankets on the bare floor. With prisoner exchanges suspended, escape and death were the only ways out. Libby Prison Breakout recounts the largely unknown story of the escape of 109 steel-nerved officers through a 55-foot tunnel, and their flight in winter through the heart of the enemy homeland, amid an all-out Rebel manhunt. The officers' later testimony in Washington spurred two far-reaching investigations and a new cycle of retaliation against Rebel captives.--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Prologue

The Confederate capital

The POW archipelago

Inside Libby Prison

The defiant colonel

Misery and retaliation

Miss Van Lew's spy ring

The warrior schoolteacher

Test of faith

General Butler's raid

The ordeal of tunnel four

Escape

Flight

Fallout

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781586487164 (alk. paper)

1586487167 (alk. paper)

OCLC:

298186461