These
operations, by means of which numerous captives were to make
their way to fresh air and freedom, are abundantly worthy of
being told, as an evidence of the ingenuity of man and the
amount of labor and hardship he is willing to give in
exchange for liberty.
[Illustration: LIBBY PRISON, RICHMOND.]
Libby Prison was certainly not of palatial dimensions or
accommodations. Before the war it had been a tobacco
warehouse, situated close by the Lynchburg Canal, and a
short distance from James River, whose waters ran by in full
view of the longing eyes which gazed upon them from the
close-barred prison windows. For the story which we have to
tell some description of the make-up of this place of
detention is a necessary preliminary. The building was three
stories high in front, and four in the rear, its dimensions
being one hundred and sixty-five by one hundred and five
feet. It was strongly built, of brick and stone, while very
thick partition walls of brick divided it internally into
three sections. Each section had its cellar, one of them,
with which we are particularly concerned, being unoccupied.
The others were occasionally used. The first floor had three
apartments, one used by the prison authorities, one as a
hospital, while the middle one served the prisoners as a
cooking-and dining-room.
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