Libby Prison, Civil War prison in Richmond, United States
Libby Prison was a former tobacco warehouse on the James River converted into a military detention facility consisting of three connected buildings. The officers were held in large open rooms with barred windows across multiple stories, offering minimal privacy within the structure.
The structure was originally constructed as a tobacco warehouse in the mid-1800s but was repurposed as a Confederate military prison in 1862 when the Civil War began. This shift reflected how Richmond transformed civilian buildings for wartime use.
The prison held a community of Union officers who shared their experiences through writing and verses that reflected their circumstances. Such personal records offer visitors a window into how captive soldiers coped with confinement and hardship.
Exploring the site requires time to walk through multiple levels and rooms to grasp the crowded conditions the inmates faced. Visitors should be prepared for a potentially emotional experience as they move through the confined spaces.
While held captive, roughly 100 officers dug an underground tunnel through which over 50 successfully escaped in one of the Civil War's most notable prison breaks. This escape remains one of the war's most extraordinary examples of collective resistance and ingenuity.
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