Libby Prison Escapees - Surnames Starting with S
(75) Captain William W. Scearce (51st Indiana Infantry, Company K) - He was captured at Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
He was 26 when he successfully escaped from Libby Prison. He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Colonel Abel Straight and Lieutenant John Sterling.
Scarce was wounded in the thigh at Nashville on December 16, 1864.
He was promoted to Major on May 15, 1865 and then promoted to Lt. Colonel on June 1, 1865. He was discharged on December 13, 1865 on a surgeon's certificate for chronic bronchitis and other ailments resulting from the time he was confined in Libby Prison.
Before the war, he had worked as a farmer. He died on January 23, 1897. He was buried in Pomona Cemetery and Mausoleum in Los Angeles, California.
(76) 2nd Lieutenant Edgar Schroeders (74th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D) - He was born in Koenigsberg Prussia in 1835. He was educated at the military academy there and entered the Prussian Army as an officer. In 1859, he left the Prussian Army and joined the Austrian army, serving as an officer in several minor campaigns.
He came to the United States in 1860 and enlisted in the 103rd New York Infantry from January to May 1862. He then served the 74th Pennsylvania in Company K before being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of Company D. During the Civil War, his technical knowledge as a topographer secured his promotion to 1st Lieutenant and as topographer to General Alexander Schismelfenig.
He suffered an injury to his right leg when his horse fell on him at Chancellorsville on May 1, 1863.
He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. His obituary states he assisted in digging the tunnel but other accounts don't mention him. He did use the tunnel to escape from Libby Prison, but the 29-year-old was recaptured the next day with Captain Francis Irsch.
Schroeders had been in the hospital in December 1863 for diarrhea and scorbutus, and in January and February 1864 for an unknown illness.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and then to Charleston, South Carolina and then to Columbia, South Carolina, from where he was exchanged and paroled on March 1, 1865.
He was transferred to Company I on September 16, 1864 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 1, 1865. He mustered out on August 29, 1865.
Schroeder received a disability pension for total deafness in his left ear and partial deafness in his right ear, and depressed scars of the scalp and face, resulting from scurvy, which gave him excruciating headaches during cold and damp weather. He also suffered from rheumatism and his leg injury.
In civilian life, he was employed as a draftsman and surveyor. He was a civil engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company. He was then an engineer under General George M. Wheeler, who was in charge of the U.S. exploration west of the 100th Meridian. After leaving government service, he worked for Ammerman & Ford, civil engineers of New York City, for ten years. From 1899 to 1909, he was a draughtsman for the Topographical Bureau of the City of New York.
He died at the age of 90 in Brooklyn, New York on February 4, 1909. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
(77) 2nd Lieutenant Hugo Schroedter (82nd Illinois Infantry, Company F) - He was born in Kaiserswaldan, Prussia in about 1832.
He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was in the hospital from September 20 through September 26, 1863 for an unknown illness, but it was believed to be hemorrhaging of the lungs. He was reported by other prisoners as having been sick his entire stay in Libby.
At age 32, he escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured the next day. In Hamilton's account, he is listed as 1st Lt. H. Scroeter at the time of the escape. He was placed in a dungeon upon his return to Libby.
He was transferred to Rolla, then Charleston South Carolina, then Macon, Georgia, beginning May 7, 1864. He was paroled on March 1, 1865 and mustered out May 15, 1865.
After the war, he worked as a liquor dealer. According to the Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922, his occupation was a saloon keeper.
He died on December 17, 1880 at the age of 48 at his home in Chicago, of tuberculosis acquired in Libby Prison. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. His name is listed as Hugo Schroder in the cemetery's listings.
Some reports also listed his name as Schwester or Chivester, due to misreading of handwritten records.
(78) 2nd Lieutenant Edward S. Scott (89th Ohio Infantry, Company G) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863. At age 21, he successfully escaped from Libby Prison with Captain Wesley Adams and Lieutenant Edgar Higby.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on March 19, 1864. He was wounded on July 20, 1864 at the Battle of Peachtree Creek in Georgia.
Scott was appointed adjutant on September 20, 1864. He mustered out with his regiment on June 7, 1865.
(79) 1st Lieutenant Godwin Scudmore (80th Illinois Infantry, Company A) - He was captured at Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
He successfully escaped from Libby Prison after wandering in the swamps surrounding Richmond for several days and nights.
He was promoted to Captain but not mustered. He mustered out on August 31, 1864.
In various records, his first name has appeared as Goodwin and his last name as Scuttermore and Scudamore.
(80) 2nd Lieutenant Horace B. Seeley (86th New York Infantry, Company K) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 2, 1863 and then to Captain on May 15, 1865.
He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured. He was transferred to Danville, Virginia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Columbia, South Carolina.
Seeley was wounded on May 10, 1864 at Po River, Virginia in what may have been another escape attempt. He was placed on the sick list for the loss of a great toe.
He was paroled on March 1, 1865. He developed rheumatism and kidney disease while in prison, requiring hospitalization after his parole.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 2, 1863 and then to Captain on May 15, 1865. He mustered out on June 27, 1865.
He is not listed in Hamilton's published account. Seeley's personal account of the Libby Prison escape is transcribed here.
Gindlesperger says he died August 10, 1904 in Addison, New Jersey. There is no Addison in New Jersey. There is one in New York. However, there was a Horace Bradley Seeley who was a Captain for the 86th New York who died in 1895 and he is buried in Edgewood Cemetery in Missouri.
(81) 1st Lieutenant John D. Simpson (10th Indiana Infantry, Company H) - He was a nephew of General Robert Anderson and he served as an aide to General Fry and General Steadman.
He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
Simpson was in the final tunnel group only. He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured. He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864, and from there to Columbia and then Charleston, South Carolina, where he was placed on the list of sick and convalescent prisoners, suffering from general debility. He was paroled on December 10, 1864 and then discharged on December 19, 1964.
(82) 1st Lieutenant Melville Rench Small (6th Maryland Infantry, Company H) - He was captured at Harper's Ferry, Virginia on July 19, 1863 while in the process of a court martial for unspecified charges. He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured 2 days later.
He was paroled on April 30, 1864, returning to his regiment on June 7, 1864.
He is also listed as Adj’t M. R. Small.
Small died of complications from wounds to his left leg suffered at Cedar Creek. Gindlesperger says he died on October 19, 1864 but his tombstone says he died on November 17, 1864. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown, Maryland.
(83) Captain Edmund L. Smith (19th U. S. Infantry, Company G) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured about 4 days later at Charles City Crossroads with Lt. James H. Gageby and Lt. Adam Hauf after being run down by bloodhounds. His recapture was published in the Richmond Sentinel on February 15, 1864, six days after the escape.
Smith was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, from where he was paroled.
He was awarded brevet major on September 20, 1863 for gallantry and meritorious service at Chickamauga, for having taken command of the 19th U.S. after the commander was badly wounded. He resigned his commission on July 23, 1867.
He died on September 11, 1891.
(84) Lt. Colonel John P. Spofford (97th New York Infantry) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.
At age 45, he escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured two days later.
Spofford was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston.
He was one of several prisoners moved into the line of Union bombardment while at Charleston, in a Confederate attempt to halt the artillery fire.
He was paroled on August 3, 1864, suffering from rheumatism and general debility.
Spofford was promoted to colonel on February 18, 1865. He mustered out on July 18, 1865 at camp in Field, Virginia. He was promoted brevet brigadier general USV (war service) on March 13, 1865.
He had been wounded in the side, with a fractured rib, at Hatcher's Run on February 6, 1865.
He died on August 28, 1884.
He was listed as Col. S. P. Spofford at the time of the escape.
(85) Captain George H. Starr (104th New York Infantry, Company D) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was 24 years old when he escaped from Libby Prison; however, he was recaptured the next day.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864. He escaped from Macon in July 1864, but he was recaptured and transferred to Columbia, South Carolina. He eventually escape again in October 1864.
Starr was aided in his flight to Union lines by a woman who had two sons in the Confederate army, telling Starr that she hoped someone would do the same for her sons if they were ever captured.
He mustered out on January 6, 1865.
(86) 1st Lieutenant John Sterling (30th Indiana Infantry, Company A) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
He was 28 years old when he successfully escaped from Libby Prison.
He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Colonel Abel Straight and Captain William W. Scearce.
He mustered out on September 29, 1864.
(87) Colonel Abel D. Streight (51st Indiana Infantry) - He was captured at Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
He successfully escaped from Libby Prison. He was suffering from what was described as general debility at the time of escape.
He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Captain William W. Scearce and Lieutenant John Sterling.
Streight returned to duty in May 1864. He took command of the First Brigade, Third Division, Fourth Corps on November 17, 1864, relieving Colonel John A. Martin. He was promoted brevet brigadier general on March 13, 1865. He resigned his commission on March 16, 1865.
He was erroneously credited for many years with being the mastermind behind the escape.
Streight died on May 26, 1892. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(88) 1st Lieutenant Lewis Sutherland (126th Ohio Infantry) - He was captured at Germantown Ford (Locust Grove) Virginia on November 27, 1863.
Sutherland was 33 years old when he escaped from Libby Prison. He lost his boots while fording a stream during the escape and wandered several days in sub-freezing temperatures in his bare feet. He was recaptured about 4 days later.
After his return to Libby Prison, he was confined in a basement cell for eight days and nights, resulting in severe rheumatism.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, from where he attempted another escape on November 1, 1864. He was run down by bloodhounds and returned to Columbia , from where he escaped again three weeks later, this time successfully. He reached Union lines at Knoxville.
He was promoted to Captain on June 27, 1864. He was discharged on June 17, 1865. He also served as adjutant.
A farmer, he died of dropsy in 1904 in Smithfield, Ohio.
He was listed in one account as L.D. Sutherland and also as Lewis W. Sutherland.
He was 26 when he successfully escaped from Libby Prison. He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Colonel Abel Straight and Lieutenant John Sterling.
Scarce was wounded in the thigh at Nashville on December 16, 1864.
He was promoted to Major on May 15, 1865 and then promoted to Lt. Colonel on June 1, 1865. He was discharged on December 13, 1865 on a surgeon's certificate for chronic bronchitis and other ailments resulting from the time he was confined in Libby Prison.
Before the war, he had worked as a farmer. He died on January 23, 1897. He was buried in Pomona Cemetery and Mausoleum in Los Angeles, California.
(76) 2nd Lieutenant Edgar Schroeders (74th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D) - He was born in Koenigsberg Prussia in 1835. He was educated at the military academy there and entered the Prussian Army as an officer. In 1859, he left the Prussian Army and joined the Austrian army, serving as an officer in several minor campaigns.
He came to the United States in 1860 and enlisted in the 103rd New York Infantry from January to May 1862. He then served the 74th Pennsylvania in Company K before being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of Company D. During the Civil War, his technical knowledge as a topographer secured his promotion to 1st Lieutenant and as topographer to General Alexander Schismelfenig.
He suffered an injury to his right leg when his horse fell on him at Chancellorsville on May 1, 1863.
He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. His obituary states he assisted in digging the tunnel but other accounts don't mention him. He did use the tunnel to escape from Libby Prison, but the 29-year-old was recaptured the next day with Captain Francis Irsch.
Schroeders had been in the hospital in December 1863 for diarrhea and scorbutus, and in January and February 1864 for an unknown illness.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and then to Charleston, South Carolina and then to Columbia, South Carolina, from where he was exchanged and paroled on March 1, 1865.
He was transferred to Company I on September 16, 1864 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 1, 1865. He mustered out on August 29, 1865.
Schroeder received a disability pension for total deafness in his left ear and partial deafness in his right ear, and depressed scars of the scalp and face, resulting from scurvy, which gave him excruciating headaches during cold and damp weather. He also suffered from rheumatism and his leg injury.
In civilian life, he was employed as a draftsman and surveyor. He was a civil engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company. He was then an engineer under General George M. Wheeler, who was in charge of the U.S. exploration west of the 100th Meridian. After leaving government service, he worked for Ammerman & Ford, civil engineers of New York City, for ten years. From 1899 to 1909, he was a draughtsman for the Topographical Bureau of the City of New York.
He died at the age of 90 in Brooklyn, New York on February 4, 1909. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
(77) 2nd Lieutenant Hugo Schroedter (82nd Illinois Infantry, Company F) - He was born in Kaiserswaldan, Prussia in about 1832.
He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was in the hospital from September 20 through September 26, 1863 for an unknown illness, but it was believed to be hemorrhaging of the lungs. He was reported by other prisoners as having been sick his entire stay in Libby.
At age 32, he escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured the next day. In Hamilton's account, he is listed as 1st Lt. H. Scroeter at the time of the escape. He was placed in a dungeon upon his return to Libby.
He was transferred to Rolla, then Charleston South Carolina, then Macon, Georgia, beginning May 7, 1864. He was paroled on March 1, 1865 and mustered out May 15, 1865.
After the war, he worked as a liquor dealer. According to the Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922, his occupation was a saloon keeper.
He died on December 17, 1880 at the age of 48 at his home in Chicago, of tuberculosis acquired in Libby Prison. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. His name is listed as Hugo Schroder in the cemetery's listings.
Some reports also listed his name as Schwester or Chivester, due to misreading of handwritten records.
(78) 2nd Lieutenant Edward S. Scott (89th Ohio Infantry, Company G) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863. At age 21, he successfully escaped from Libby Prison with Captain Wesley Adams and Lieutenant Edgar Higby.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on March 19, 1864. He was wounded on July 20, 1864 at the Battle of Peachtree Creek in Georgia.
Scott was appointed adjutant on September 20, 1864. He mustered out with his regiment on June 7, 1865.
(79) 1st Lieutenant Godwin Scudmore (80th Illinois Infantry, Company A) - He was captured at Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
He successfully escaped from Libby Prison after wandering in the swamps surrounding Richmond for several days and nights.
He was promoted to Captain but not mustered. He mustered out on August 31, 1864.
In various records, his first name has appeared as Goodwin and his last name as Scuttermore and Scudamore.
(80) 2nd Lieutenant Horace B. Seeley (86th New York Infantry, Company K) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 2, 1863 and then to Captain on May 15, 1865.
He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured. He was transferred to Danville, Virginia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Columbia, South Carolina.
Seeley was wounded on May 10, 1864 at Po River, Virginia in what may have been another escape attempt. He was placed on the sick list for the loss of a great toe.
He was paroled on March 1, 1865. He developed rheumatism and kidney disease while in prison, requiring hospitalization after his parole.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 2, 1863 and then to Captain on May 15, 1865. He mustered out on June 27, 1865.
He is not listed in Hamilton's published account. Seeley's personal account of the Libby Prison escape is transcribed here.
Gindlesperger says he died August 10, 1904 in Addison, New Jersey. There is no Addison in New Jersey. There is one in New York. However, there was a Horace Bradley Seeley who was a Captain for the 86th New York who died in 1895 and he is buried in Edgewood Cemetery in Missouri.
(81) 1st Lieutenant John D. Simpson (10th Indiana Infantry, Company H) - He was a nephew of General Robert Anderson and he served as an aide to General Fry and General Steadman.
He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
Simpson was in the final tunnel group only. He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured. He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864, and from there to Columbia and then Charleston, South Carolina, where he was placed on the list of sick and convalescent prisoners, suffering from general debility. He was paroled on December 10, 1864 and then discharged on December 19, 1964.
(82) 1st Lieutenant Melville Rench Small (6th Maryland Infantry, Company H) - He was captured at Harper's Ferry, Virginia on July 19, 1863 while in the process of a court martial for unspecified charges. He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured 2 days later.
He was paroled on April 30, 1864, returning to his regiment on June 7, 1864.
He is also listed as Adj’t M. R. Small.
Small died of complications from wounds to his left leg suffered at Cedar Creek. Gindlesperger says he died on October 19, 1864 but his tombstone says he died on November 17, 1864. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown, Maryland.
(83) Captain Edmund L. Smith (19th U. S. Infantry, Company G) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
He escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured about 4 days later at Charles City Crossroads with Lt. James H. Gageby and Lt. Adam Hauf after being run down by bloodhounds. His recapture was published in the Richmond Sentinel on February 15, 1864, six days after the escape.
Smith was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, from where he was paroled.
He was awarded brevet major on September 20, 1863 for gallantry and meritorious service at Chickamauga, for having taken command of the 19th U.S. after the commander was badly wounded. He resigned his commission on July 23, 1867.
He died on September 11, 1891.
(84) Lt. Colonel John P. Spofford (97th New York Infantry) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.
At age 45, he escaped from Libby Prison, but he was recaptured two days later.
Spofford was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston.
He was one of several prisoners moved into the line of Union bombardment while at Charleston, in a Confederate attempt to halt the artillery fire.
He was paroled on August 3, 1864, suffering from rheumatism and general debility.
Spofford was promoted to colonel on February 18, 1865. He mustered out on July 18, 1865 at camp in Field, Virginia. He was promoted brevet brigadier general USV (war service) on March 13, 1865.
He had been wounded in the side, with a fractured rib, at Hatcher's Run on February 6, 1865.
He died on August 28, 1884.
He was listed as Col. S. P. Spofford at the time of the escape.
(85) Captain George H. Starr (104th New York Infantry, Company D) - He was captured at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was 24 years old when he escaped from Libby Prison; however, he was recaptured the next day.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864. He escaped from Macon in July 1864, but he was recaptured and transferred to Columbia, South Carolina. He eventually escape again in October 1864.
Starr was aided in his flight to Union lines by a woman who had two sons in the Confederate army, telling Starr that she hoped someone would do the same for her sons if they were ever captured.
He mustered out on January 6, 1865.
(86) 1st Lieutenant John Sterling (30th Indiana Infantry, Company A) - He was captured at Chickamauga on September 20, 1863.
He was 28 years old when he successfully escaped from Libby Prison.
He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Colonel Abel Straight and Captain William W. Scearce.
He mustered out on September 29, 1864.
(87) Colonel Abel D. Streight (51st Indiana Infantry) - He was captured at Rome, Georgia on May 3, 1863.
He successfully escaped from Libby Prison. He was suffering from what was described as general debility at the time of escape.
He was rescued 19 days after the escape, on February 28, 1864, by the USS Ella at Blackstone Island, in Potomac River, with Major Bedan McDonald, Captain William W. Scearce and Lieutenant John Sterling.
Streight returned to duty in May 1864. He took command of the First Brigade, Third Division, Fourth Corps on November 17, 1864, relieving Colonel John A. Martin. He was promoted brevet brigadier general on March 13, 1865. He resigned his commission on March 16, 1865.
He was erroneously credited for many years with being the mastermind behind the escape.
Streight died on May 26, 1892. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(88) 1st Lieutenant Lewis Sutherland (126th Ohio Infantry) - He was captured at Germantown Ford (Locust Grove) Virginia on November 27, 1863.
Sutherland was 33 years old when he escaped from Libby Prison. He lost his boots while fording a stream during the escape and wandered several days in sub-freezing temperatures in his bare feet. He was recaptured about 4 days later.
After his return to Libby Prison, he was confined in a basement cell for eight days and nights, resulting in severe rheumatism.
He was transferred to Macon, Georgia on May 7, 1864 and from there to Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, from where he attempted another escape on November 1, 1864. He was run down by bloodhounds and returned to Columbia , from where he escaped again three weeks later, this time successfully. He reached Union lines at Knoxville.
He was promoted to Captain on June 27, 1864. He was discharged on June 17, 1865. He also served as adjutant.
A farmer, he died of dropsy in 1904 in Smithfield, Ohio.
He was listed in one account as L.D. Sutherland and also as Lewis W. Sutherland.