Capture and Escape: A Narrative of Army and Prison Life

A Union officer who rose from modest farm beginnings to the ranks of the Iron Brigade recounts his wartime journey with unflinching detail. He fought in many of the conflict’s most brutal engagements, from Antietam to Gettysburg, and found himself on a special skirmish detail when the chaos of the Wilderness battle turned his fate. Captured by Confederate forces in May 1864, he was thrust into a world of confinement far from the front lines.

The narrative then moves into a stark portrait of Confederate prison life, describing the cramped, disease‑ridden camps at Lynchburg, Danville, Macon, and Charleston. Amid the hardship, his ingenuity and determination shine as he plots a daring escape, leaping from a speeding railroad car during a prisoner transfer. The account balances vivid battlefield memories with the tense, desperate moments of a fugitive on the run, offering listeners a gripping glimpse into courage under fire and the relentless will to survive.