Prison Breaks

[traveller]

Doing a bit of research on prison breaks, but not having much luck. Anyone know where I could find some info on any Confederate prisoners that may have escaped? Preferably from the Eastern prisons.

Traveller

[unionblue]

Traveller,

How about John Hunt Morgan and his escape from the Ohio penitentiary?

Unionblue

[gary]

Try Berry Benson's Confederate Scout-Sharpshooter. He escaped from Elmira. It's perhaps one of the better known escapes.

[mobile_96]

The Confederate Veteran has letters sent in by soldiers that escaped. Several excellent letters on some that did manage to escape from Point Lookout.
You might try your local Lib for a set.
Chuck in Il.

[gary]

From Robert Taylor's "Destruction and Reconstruction," page 109: "Fusilier was twice captured, and on the first occasion was sent to Fortress Monroe, where he, with fifty other prisoners from my command, was embarked on the transport Maple Leaf for Fort Delaware. Reaching the capes of Chesapeake at nightfall, the prisoners suddenly attacked and overpowered th guard, ran the transport near to the beach in Princess Anne County, Virginia, landed, and made their way to Richmond, whence they rejoined me in Louisiana..."

Does that count?

[mobile_96]

"CV Vol.XXV (1917) pg 182
Who Was That Man
Mr. F.G.Connellee writes from Bertrand, Va.:
"One of the most daring incidents I ever witnessed was at Point Lookout.
I don't know who the soldier was nor even his command, but he was a fellow prisoner there with me. The weather was very cold, and the Potomac River was frozen hard way out. The Yankee officers were having a good time skating, while our poor boys were looking on."
"My fellow prisoner pretended that he had never seen any skating in the South, but said it looked easy, and if he had a pair of skates he believed he could do it.
Thinking to have some fun, one of the officers took off his skates and offered them to him. The prisoners put them on very awkwardly, slipped and slid, and fell dozens of times, greatly to the amusement of the officer and quard. After a little he improved. They remarked on it and followed him out ****her and ****her, saying that he would soon learn.
Suddenly he straightened out and went off like a streak of lightening straight up the Maryland shore. The guards and officers followed him in hot chase, but none could keep up. He skated toward an open tract on the ice-a tract said to be about thirty feet wide-that was kept open by the ferryboat to the opposite side of the river. Aided by his tremendous speed, he rose in the air and went with ease over that awful gap. Landing on his feet, he waved farewell and dashed to his own, the Southland, once more. Not one man dared try to make that terrible jump.
Before the guard could get back ashore and get around the open tract of the ferryboat, our hero (Let us say that he was) was out of sight and miles away.
When next heard from, he was at the front fighting."
Or something like this one
Chuck in Il.

(Message edited by mobile_96 on August 18, 2003)