Escape from Dixie

Some of the most dramatic scenes of the Civil War happened far from the battlefields where military victories were won. In overcrowded prison camps, Union POWs fought a very different kind of battle as they clang to life in the face of disease, hunger, and despair.


In some cases, they managed to escape the prison walls, usually after weeks and months of plotting, making arrangements, and digging tunnels. But once outside, they were still a long ways from the Union lines. Many didn’t make it very far before they heard the barking of bloodhounds on their scent, and realized that they were doomed.


If they managed to evade the rebel manhunters, the long journey home began in earnest. These odysseys through the Confederacy often took them through swamps, forests, and mountains where they were largely concealed from suspicious eyes. The need for food and guidance forced them to make contact with locals, some of whom were sympathetic to the North. Their instincts and judgement of character meant the difference between gaining freedom and being captured.


Some of the fortunate ones, who managed to escape the Confederacy by the skin of their teeth, would write down their experiences in detail. These stories are fascinating in their portrayal of the Confederacy as seen from the perspective of those trapped inside it, but they are also testaments to the human will to survive and fight for freedom against all odds.