The Great Prison Tunnel Escape, Part 1, the First Attempt.

This Great Escape story took place in Richmond, Virginia, at Libby Prison in 1864.

Libby Prison was created by the Confederate government during the American Civil War to imprison Union officers.

The building was initially a food warehouse, which was converted into a prison in 1861.

It contained eight large, low-ceilinged rooms, each 103 feet by 42 feet, or 31 meters by 13 meters.

The second and third floors were used to house the prisoners.

The windows had bars on them, but no glass.

This exposed the prisoners to the elements and increased their discomfort.

The prison held 700 prisoners in 1862,

but by 1863, the facility far exceeded

the maximum capacity of 1,000 prisoners.

Mortality rates were high in 1863 and 1864, aggravated by shortages of food and supplies.

Due to lack of sanitation and overcrowding issues and spread of diseases and a high death toll, the prison gained a

reputation for its inhumane conditions. The Great Tunnel Escape occurred on the night, February 9, 1864.

I was one of the 109 Union officers who passed through the tunnel, and one of the ill-fated

48 that were retaken.

I and two companions, Lieutenant Morgan and Lieutenant Watson, were in sight of the Union

Pickett posts when recaptured by the Confederate cavalry.

So close to freedom.

Let me explain the structure and function of Libby Prison before the

great plan to build a tunnel was hatched. Libby Prison sits on Carey Street in Richmond and stands on a hill

which descends abruptly to the canal. Its southern wall is divided only by a street

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