The great escape from Libby Prison occurred on the February 9, 1864. 109
prisoners escaped through a tunnel dug from the building under a vacant lot to
the east. The following articles and accounts detail the event. For information
on Libby Prison in general, please visit the Libby
Prison page.
| Richmond Examiner |
2/11/1864; good description of the "great escape"
from Libby Prison. Castle Thunder mentioned. |
| Richmond Enquirer |
2/11/1864; good description of the escape |
| Richmond Sentinel |
2/11/1864; Libby Prison escape notice |
| Richmond Whig |
2/11/1864; Libby Prison escape notice |
| Richmond
Enquirer |
2/12/1864; Description of the Libby prison breakout and list
of escapees re-captured |
| Richmond Examiner |
2/12/1864; 22 Libby escapees re-captured and description of
the breakout |
| Richmond Whig |
2/12/1864; list of Libby escapees that have
been recaptured, and list of men still at large |
| Richmond
Enquirer |
2/13/1864; Recapturing Libby escapees, and list of
re-captured prisoners |
| Richmond Whig |
2/13/1864; more escapees have been captured;
rumor that Streight has been recaptured |
| New York Times |
2/15/1864; Libby Prison escape notice |
| Richmond Examiner |
2/15/1864; recapturing Libby escapee anecdotes |
| Richmond Whig |
2/15/1864; recapturing Libby escapee anecdotes |
| Richmond Sentinel |
2/15/1864; list of escapees recaptured |
|
Charleston Mercury |
2/16/1864; description of the Libby Prison
escape - includes a very good description of the physicality of the escape |
| Richmond
Enquirer |
2/16/1864; Two more Libby escapees
re-captured |
| Richmond
Examiner |
2/16/1864; No more escapees from Libby have
been captured. |
| Richmond Examiner |
2/20/1864; Major General Scammon and staff
brought to Libby; 58 escapees have been recaptured |
| Richmond
Sentinel |
2/20/1864; details on status of escaped
Yankees |
| Franklin
Repository |
2/24/1864; "The Libby Jail Delivery" |
| National Tribune |
5/14/1885; excellent account by Col. Thomas
Rose of the organization and completion of the Libby Prison tunnel |
| The
Camp, the Battle Field, and the Hospital... |
ca. 1866; by Linus P. Brockett;
excerpt (by John F. Porter) describes the author's part in the famous
Libby Prison escape and subsequent journey to Williamsburg |
| Beach,
History of the Fortieth Ohio... |
1884; letter (J. M. Wasson) describing arrival
at Libby after capture at Missionary Ridge and subsequent escape through
the Libby Prison tunnel |
| Century
Magazine, March 1888, pp.
770-790 |
3/1888; Moran, Frank
E. "Colonel Rose's Tunnel at Libby prison." Excellent
account of the tunneling effort and subsequent escape of 109 Libby
prisoners |
| The Century
Magazine |
11/1889; explanation of the shooting
episode given in "Col. Rose's Tunnel at Libby Prison" article
from former guard. |
| National
Tribune |
3/27/1890; excellent description of
the tunneling effort at Libby Prison by one of the tunneling party (W. S.
B. Randall, 2nd Ohio Inf.) - slightly different from Moran's account |
|
New York Times |
3/1/1891; part four of serialized
account of life in Libby. Notes that 1864 began poorly - the Confederates
cut off supplies from the North in order to compel the US Government to
resume exchanges; author went to Belle Isle to help distribute last batch of
supplies; mentions Castle Thunder; he was glad to be in Libby rather than
Belle Isle - notes on the "dog-slaying incident" and confirms it. Further
notes the presence of negroes on Belle Isle and their negative treatment by
their fellow prisoners. Describes Gen. J. H. Morgan's visit to Libby and
begins description of the Libby tunnel and says he was one of the diggers. |
|
New York Times |
3/15/1891; part six of serialized
account of life in Libby. Description of the digging and escape through the
Libby tunnel; notes that he was one of the ones who raised the cry of
"guards!" to get the crowd to thin out. Further relates his overland journey
towards the Chickhominy and encountering rebel earthworks on the outskirts
of Richmond, unmanned and with the bombproofs open. |
| National
Tribune |
4/21/1891; notes on tools used for
tunneling out of Libby Prison |
| National
Tribune |
3/17/1892; lengthy but excellent
account of the tunnel escape and "powder mine" of Libby Prison -
and disputation of falsehoods recently circulated; by Frank E. Moran |
| "Story
of the Famous Tunnel Escape from Libby Prison" |
1893? Hamilton, Andrew G. Excellent
published account regarding the tunnel escape from Libby Prison. One of
the most reliable sources. |
| Confederate
Veteran, Vol. XVII (1909) p. 114 |
"Tunneling Out of Libby
Prison;" account from John Mitchell, one of the digging party on how
the tunnel was made |
| "With
Touch of Elbow" (1909) |
David Wells (8th Mich. Cav.) gives
an excellent account of Libby Prison and his escape through the famous
tunnel. |
