An Account of the Escape of Six Federal Soldiers from Prison at Danville, Va

In Short

This memoir details the 1864 escape of six Union soldiers from a hospital prison in Danville, Virginia. Driven by the knowledge that they were to be sent to more secure, brutal confinement, the men make a perilous, weeks-long trek through mountainous enemy territory toward Union lines. Written by a participant, the narrative serves as both a gripping survival adventure and a meticulous historical record. It endures as a stark, unvarnished look at the physical and psychological toll of the Civil War, stripped of romanticism and focused on the immediate necessity of freedom.

The Story

The narrative begins in the winter of 1864 at a hospital in Danville, where Union prisoners are being held. William Newlin and his fellow soldier, William Sutherland, realize their time is running out. Upon learning that the Confederates intend to move them to a more permanent, restrictive prison, the men decide to take a desperate gamble: they will escape that very night. They gather a small group of comrades and slip away, beginning a journey defined by extreme hunger, freezing temperatures, and the constant, crushing anxiety of discovery.

The group moves primarily by night, navigating the rugged terrain of the Blue Ridge Mountains and rural Virginia. Their path is a series of narrow escapes; they frequently hide in the woods during the day, listening for the sounds of pursuers or the barking of dogs that could lead to their recapture. The group’s survival hinges on finding "Union men"—local residents sympathetic to the North—who provide food and intelligence. These encounters are tense and dangerous, as the men must constantly judge whom to trust. A misstep in these social encounters, or a failure to correctly identify a stranger’s allegiance, would result in their immediate imprisonment or death.

As the journey progresses, the physical toll becomes nearly unbearable. The men are often reduced to eating raw corn or scavenged scraps. The most devastating moment occurs when one of their party, Taylor, becomes injured and physically unable to keep pace in the freezing mud and snow. Faced with the impossible choice of sacrificing the entire group or leaving a comrade behind to an uncertain, likely fatal, fate in the wilderness, they choose the latter. This abandonment haunts the narrative, serving as a grim testament to the absolute constraints of their situation.

The group continues to stumble through deep woods and across treacherous, icy streams, constantly adjusting their course to avoid Confederate patrols. They eventually reach a point where they gain intelligence from an elderly, sympathetic Irishman, who directs them toward Union scouts. The tension does not break until they finally reach the pickets, successfully transitioning from the role of hunted fugitives to that of soldiers among their own. The memoir concludes by placing this singular act of escape within the broader context of the author’s regiment, providing historical records that contrast the intense, small-scale struggle for individual survival with the massive, impersonal machinery of the war at large.

How It Unfolds

The decision to flee After learning they are to be transferred to a more secure facility, the men realize they have no choice but to escape immediately. They form their plan in a moment of desperate resolve, knowing that remaining means the end of their freedom.

The night marches The group moves through the dark, frozen landscape, relying on the moon for guidance while struggling to remain silent. Every noise, from the breaking of a stick to the neighing of a horse, threatens to expose them to nearby Confederate cavalry.

The abandonment of a comrade The group faces a critical failure when Taylor becomes unable to walk in the cold. They are forced to leave him alone in the wilderness, a decision that highlights the brutal, singular focus on survival that dictates their every movement.

The search for sustenance Hunger is a constant, gnawing presence that drives the men to take enormous risks at local homesteads. They must balance the need for food against the extreme danger of encountering Confederate sympathizers or local guards.

The final approach As they draw closer to the northern lines, the danger of being recognized by locals remains acute. They rely on the advice of a final, trusted contact to navigate the remaining distance to the safety of the Union scouts.

The People

William Newlin serves as the anchor of the story; he is observant, pragmatic, and driven by a cold, analytical desire to document his experiences with precision. He acts as the voice of the group, balancing his loyalty to his comrades with the harsh, often cruel logic of survival. William Sutherland is the catalyst, the man who first identifies that their time is limited and sets the wheels of the escape in motion. His initiative forces the group to act before the window of opportunity closes.

Taylor, the comrade left behind, represents the tragic casualty of their journey. His physical collapse creates the book’s most profound moral conflict, revealing the depths of the men's desperation. Robert Childs and other "Union men" encountered along the way are the enigmatic figures of the landscape; they represent the hidden, fragmented resistance within the Confederacy. The relationship between the escaped soldiers and these men is defined by profound, life-saving suspicion. Each individual, from the soldiers to their reluctant benefactors, is shaped by the constant, shifting fear of betrayal. By the end, they are all changed by the realization that their lives were held together by nothing more than luck, secrecy, and the occasional, fleeting mercy of strangers.

In Its Own Voice

"We were compelled to rely on memory in preserving for publication the incidents here narrated, as while on our trip we had neither pencil nor paper."

The author explains the limitations of his record-keeping while emphasizing that the trauma of the escape ensured the events remained fixed in his mind.

"It was a touching, but a necessary or unavoidable incident of our journey to leave Taylor behind in the Winter, and in the wilderness, as a lonely and solitary sentinel in the silent watches of the night."

This passage reflects the cold, detached grief the author feels when recounting the abandonment of their injured comrade.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is an examination of the fragility of human autonomy during wartime. It raises difficult questions about the morality of survival: is it a virtue to persist at the expense of one's companions, or is such a choice a surrender of one’s humanity? The narrative argues that under the extreme duress of imprisonment and flight, conventional ethics are replaced by a brutal, utilitarian logic. It explores how a landscape—usually a home—becomes an alien, dangerous map that must be conquered to find freedom. It is not a story of heroic triumph, but of the calculated, often heartbreaking choices required to endure when the world is actively trying to extinguish your life.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the granular reality of historical experience—the "how" of history rather than the "why"—will find this book compelling. It feels immediate because it is stripped of the post-war sentimentality that often colors later reflections on the conflict. The prose is functional and direct, mirroring the urgency of the men it describes.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the coldness of the author’s tone. The same precision that makes the narrative so vivid can sometimes feel jarring when describing the abandonment of a comrade or the casual, period-specific language used to describe the people they encounter. There is little emotional softening here; it is a document of a time when death was a constant, expected neighbor. The length is manageable, and the structure is straightforward, but the subject matter is heavy. It remains a powerful testament to the sheer physical endurance of the individual soldier. If you want to understand the visceral, terrifying experience of escaping a prison camp—the feeling of the cold, the hunger, and the crushing weight of every decision—this book provides a window that is as clear and sharp as the winter night it describes.