The Libby Prison Escape
There are plenty of websites that tell the story of the escape better than I can and I've tried to include some of them below. Considering that my great-great-grandfather, William H.H. Wilcox, was among the 109 men* who escaped from Libby Prison on Feb. 9, 1864 I wanted to also include a list of All escapees from Feb. 1864 and their bios so they will not be forgotten.
Also check out the special report by CBS 6 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the escape.
I have tried to include photos and as much as possible to verify their information but there were so many conflicting accounts so I did what I could. The Civil War Prison site has lots of information and articles.
I've included a complete source list at the bottom of the page.
If you have information to share on any of these men, please feel free to contact me.
Also check out the special report by CBS 6 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the escape.
I have tried to include photos and as much as possible to verify their information but there were so many conflicting accounts so I did what I could. The Civil War Prison site has lots of information and articles.
I've included a complete source list at the bottom of the page.
If you have information to share on any of these men, please feel free to contact me.
William H.H. Wilcox's diary also mentions several people who were not escapees as well as those in prison with him and details his experiences of the escape. Transcription of the below diary pages:
[February] 10th Made my escape from Libby together with 108 other officers through tunnel
65 feet in length — joined Col. Ely 18 C.V. [Colonel William Grosvenor Ely of the 18th Connecticut Infantry] & Lt. Ray 9th O.V. [could be Lt. Thomas Ray of the 49th Ohio Volunteers] — went through Fair oaks [?] & travelled some 15 miles.
11th - Lay off in woods all day; travelled all night through swamps &
12th - travelled most all day & night
13th - captured at sunrise by Sgt. [Lurel?] 42 Batte, Va Cavly [cavalry] around Charles City, C.H., 30 miles from Richmond — taken to camp of 42 Va Cavly Maj. Robinson Comdg. [commanding?]
Marched 20 miles to [Chapins? Chafins?] Bluff & confined in guard house over night.
14th Brought to Richmond & confined in dungeon.
15, 16, 17 — Dungeon
18th Released from dungeon & returned to quarters. 61 officers been recaptured. [This number is listed as 48 in a Civil War Times article, 1999]
19th Got news of safe arrival of [Colonel Abel] Streight & 21 al within our lines
20th No more escaped officers brought in - 44 still at large
65 captured
44 safe
109
[February] 10th Made my escape from Libby together with 108 other officers through tunnel
65 feet in length — joined Col. Ely 18 C.V. [Colonel William Grosvenor Ely of the 18th Connecticut Infantry] & Lt. Ray 9th O.V. [could be Lt. Thomas Ray of the 49th Ohio Volunteers] — went through Fair oaks [?] & travelled some 15 miles.
11th - Lay off in woods all day; travelled all night through swamps &
12th - travelled most all day & night
13th - captured at sunrise by Sgt. [Lurel?] 42 Batte, Va Cavly [cavalry] around Charles City, C.H., 30 miles from Richmond — taken to camp of 42 Va Cavly Maj. Robinson Comdg. [commanding?]
Marched 20 miles to [Chapins? Chafins?] Bluff & confined in guard house over night.
14th Brought to Richmond & confined in dungeon.
15, 16, 17 — Dungeon
18th Released from dungeon & returned to quarters. 61 officers been recaptured. [This number is listed as 48 in a Civil War Times article, 1999]
19th Got news of safe arrival of [Colonel Abel] Streight & 21 al within our lines
20th No more escaped officers brought in - 44 still at large
65 captured
44 safe
109
The 109 Escapees ??
109 men has been the generally accepted total of escapees from Libby Prison; however, exhaustive research still can't come up with one definitive list. Many sources list anywhere between 102 and 107. Of the 109, two unnamed men drowned while escaping, so the most the list should be is 107. However, comparing sources, I've found 112 names.
Major Andrew G. Hamilton's published account of the Libby Prison escape was published in 1893 and is very comprehensive with 103 prisoners named (it erroneously says 104); however it was published nearly 30 years after the escape. James Gindlesperger's Escape from Libby Prison includes detailed biographies of 107 escapees, claiming two others who drowned could not be named. This book was very thoroughly researched but published in 1996, 132 yeas after the event. Comparing the two lists there are several who are differently named (i.e. Gindlesperger has Alexander Von Mitzel while Hamilton calls him Von Witzel and David Garbet's name in the books spelled as Garbott by Hamilton, etc.) Taking into account name variations there are still differences in these two sources. Gindlesperger's book of 107 men includes 9 escapees NOT mentioned in Hamilton's account. Those men are: 2nd Lieutenant Freeman C. Gay of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Captain Jacob S. Hagler of the 5th Tennessee Infantry Lt. Colonel Edwin L. Hayes of the 100th Ohio Infantry Captain David Jones of the 1st Kentucky Infantry 1st Lieutenant Charles H. Morton of the 84th Illinois Infantry 2nd Lieutenant Horace B. Seeley of the 86th New York Infantry 1st Lieutenant John W. Thomas of the 2nd Ohio Infantry 1st Lieutenant Morton Tower of the 13th Massachusetts Infantry Captain Samuel A. Urquhart of the 6th Corps SEE BELOW FOR LINKS TO THE BIOS OF ALL THE ESCAPEES |
Hamilton lists 5 men who are NOT in Gindlesperger's book. Those men are:
W.E.H. Fentress, of the U.S. Navy Capt. Dan'l Fransberry of the 1st Michigan Cavalry (not in CWSS) Capt. J.C. Hall of the 112th Illinois Infantry Lt. John Mitchell of the 79th Illinois Infantry Captain J. Yates of the 3rd Ohio Infantry Both sources have errors. Assuming both lists are correct in the names, although incomplete, combining the lists to include the differences, the number of escapees now totals 114 prisoners. In 2007, the House of Representatives of the 95th General Assembly of the State of Illinois passed a resolution in remembrance of the Libby Prison escapees. The resolution says there were 109 but names 107 Libby Prison escapees - similar to Gindlesperger's list (it may even have been a source) and their home states. I am including all 112 men here in alphabetical order including their rank and company they served during the escape. I've tried to include links to their profiles in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database, which also includes information about the various regiments. When possible, I've included promotions to other ranks and service to other companies, if applicable and biographical information. Some of this information is from Escape from Libby Prison by James Gindlesperger (with the author's permission). Other sources and information are linked to directly and included at the bottom of this page. Websites on LibbyCivil War Richmond - Photographs, firsthand accounts, newspaper article transcriptions from the time
James Gindlesperger - author of Escape from Libby Prison, a well-researched & compelling account of the escape; the book also includes a list & bios of 107 of the escapees (the two who drowned haven't been named) 150th Anniversary of the Escape - article detailing the escape and includes a picture of the site today The Great Escape - article giving some context to the conditions and the escape; also discusses the role of African American teamster Robert Ford who was suspected of helping in the escape and was severely punished for it; he made his own escape from Libby a few months after the Great Escape |
The Libby Prison Escapees
Because this page was starting to have trouble loading with so much text and photos, I have moved them to separate pages by surname groups. Please just click on the link to the appropriate surname letter.)
Surnames starting with A-B
Adams, Wesley Rowe Bassett, Mark M. Beadle, Marcus Bennett, Frank T. Boyd, Joseph Fulton Boyd, Matthew Bradford, Robert Young Brown, James P. Surnames Starting with C-D Caldwell, David Stidmond Chamberlain, Henry B. Clark, Terrence Collins, Joseph P. Crawford, Henry B. Cummings, Thomas Dailey, William A. Davis, George C. Day, Robert Henry Surnames Starting with E-F Earle, Charles Warrington Edmonds, Charles L. Ely, William Grosvenor Fales, James M. Fisher, Benjamin Franklin Fislar, John C. Fitzsimmons, George W. Flansburd, David S. Foster, Eli Surnames Starting with G Gageby, James Harrison Gallagher, John Gallagher, Michael Gamble, Samuel P. Garrett, David Gates, Junius Gay, Freeman C. Good, George Smith Greble, Charles Surnames Starting with H Hagler, Jacob S. Hamilton, Andrew G. Handy, Thomas Harris, David H. Hatfield, John D. Hauf, Adam Hayes, Edwin Lewis Henry, John Higby, Edgar Judiah Hinds, Henry H. Hobart, Harrison Carroll Hooper, J. Harris Surnames starting with I to L
Irsch, Francis Johnson, Isaac Johnston, I.N. Jones, David J. Kendrick, W.P. Lucas, John |
Surnames starting with M
McCreery, William B. McDonald, Bedan B. McKean, Nineoch Miles, David Moore, McCaslin Moores, Archibald Moran, Frank Morgan, Charles H. Morton, Charles H. Mull, Daniel H. Surnames starting with P-R
Phelps, Ithamer D. Pierce, William P. Randall, William S.B. Randolph, Wallace F. Ray, Thomas J. Reynolds, William Robers, Andrew Rose, Gottlieb C. Rose, Thomas Ellwood Rossman, William C. Rowan, Charles E. Surnames starting with S
Scearce, William W. Schroeders, Edgar Schroedter, Hugo Scott, Edward S. Scudmore, Godwin Seeley, Horace B. Simpson, John D. Small, Melville R. Smith, Edmund L. Spofford, John P. Starr, George H. Sterling, John Streight, Abel D. Sutherland, Lewis Surnames Starting with T-V
Thomas, John W. Tilden, Charles W. Tower, Morton Urquhart, Samuel A. Von Mittel, Alexander T. Surnames Starting with W
Walker, Ivan T. Wallace, Robert P. Wallber, Albert Wallick, William Wasson, John Watson, William L. Wells, James M. West, Theodore S. White, Albert Benton White, Plympton Wilcox, W.H.H. Wilkins, James E. Williams, Leander Williams, William A. |
Maj. Hamilton's published account lists a *Lt. John Mitchell of the 79th Illinois Infantry as being of the tunnel party and among the escapees, but he is not listed in James Gindlesperger's book.
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Sources:
Civil War Richmond - website by Michael D. Gorman
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database
Escape from Libby Prison by James Gindlesperger
Findagrave.com - online memorials
Wikipedia article on the prison escape
Findagrave Memorials
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database
Escape from Libby Prison by James Gindlesperger
Findagrave.com - online memorials
Wikipedia article on the prison escape
Findagrave Memorials