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

Six Federal soldiers escape from a Confederate prison and make a nocturnal overland journey through hostile country to reach Union pickets, navigating by the North Star without maps or compass. The narrative details cold winter marches, scarce food, sore and lame feet, hiding from cavalry and hounds, occasional aid from local Black people, risky encounters with civilians, and the forced separation and differing fates of comrades. Recounted from memory and supported by sworn statements, the account emphasizes endurance, improvisation, and the perils of escape behind enemy lines.