1 00:00:06,625 --> 00:00:08,917 - In a deadly prison, 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,167 deep behind enemy lines... 3 00:00:11,208 --> 00:00:12,625 - You're in the enemy capitol. 4 00:00:12,708 --> 00:00:15,125 It's filled with guards and soldiers looking to capture 5 00:00:15,208 --> 00:00:16,375 anybody that tried to escape. 6 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:18,833 - One man leads the biggest escape attempt 7 00:00:18,958 --> 00:00:20,542 in American history. 8 00:00:20,625 --> 00:00:22,000 - Rose never gives up. 9 00:00:22,083 --> 00:00:24,667 His stoicism, his strength-- he was undeterred. 10 00:00:24,750 --> 00:00:25,833 He was a machine. 11 00:00:25,917 --> 00:00:27,792 - Can they break out and make it back 12 00:00:27,875 --> 00:00:30,042 to friendly territory alive? 13 00:00:30,125 --> 00:00:32,042 - Rose got stuck. 14 00:00:32,125 --> 00:00:35,833 He got stuck hard. He thought he was going to die. 15 00:00:35,875 --> 00:00:38,875 [dramatic music] 16 00:00:38,958 --> 00:00:40,542 ♪ 17 00:00:40,708 --> 00:00:44,958 - Some of the greatest stories ever told start behind bars... 18 00:00:45,042 --> 00:00:46,458 ♪ 19 00:00:46,542 --> 00:00:48,667 Locked up in the most notorious prisons 20 00:00:48,708 --> 00:00:50,333 in the world, 21 00:00:50,375 --> 00:00:55,333 spied on by guards and fellow prisoners. 22 00:00:55,375 --> 00:00:58,792 It takes a devious mind to find a way out. 23 00:00:58,875 --> 00:01:00,208 ♪ 24 00:01:00,375 --> 00:01:03,792 It could lead you to freedom. 25 00:01:03,875 --> 00:01:05,333 Or it could cost you your life. 26 00:01:05,417 --> 00:01:07,333 - [grunts] 27 00:01:07,375 --> 00:01:11,833 - But wouldn't you try when you have nothing left to lose? 28 00:01:11,875 --> 00:01:17,000 ♪ 29 00:01:17,125 --> 00:01:18,292 [prison door slams] 30 00:01:19,542 --> 00:01:21,167 ♪ 31 00:01:21,250 --> 00:01:24,583 After decades of rising socioeconomic frustrations 32 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:27,458 between the North and the South, 33 00:01:27,542 --> 00:01:31,083 in 1861, tensions over slavery 34 00:01:31,167 --> 00:01:34,125 finally boil over into the deadliest war 35 00:01:34,125 --> 00:01:36,625 in American history. 36 00:01:36,708 --> 00:01:39,542 [gunfire, explosions] 37 00:01:39,625 --> 00:01:45,125 ♪ 38 00:01:45,208 --> 00:01:49,125 An estimated 620,000 men will lose their lives 39 00:01:49,208 --> 00:01:50,917 fighting in the Civil War. 40 00:01:51,042 --> 00:01:54,292 ♪ 41 00:01:54,375 --> 00:01:56,167 But for those who find themselves 42 00:01:56,250 --> 00:01:59,333 in the hands of the enemy, 43 00:01:59,375 --> 00:02:02,500 their fate is often worse than death. 44 00:02:02,625 --> 00:02:05,375 ♪ 45 00:02:05,375 --> 00:02:08,792 Over 200,000 Union POWs will be forced 46 00:02:08,875 --> 00:02:10,917 to endure hell on Earth 47 00:02:11,042 --> 00:02:13,208 as they fight to survive the notorious 48 00:02:13,208 --> 00:02:15,333 Confederate prison camps. 49 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:22,375 ♪ 50 00:02:22,792 --> 00:02:26,708 Dark, damp, 51 00:02:26,833 --> 00:02:29,333 bone-chilling-- 52 00:02:29,375 --> 00:02:31,792 welcome to Libby Prison, 53 00:02:31,875 --> 00:02:33,833 known to its inhabitants 54 00:02:33,958 --> 00:02:36,875 as The Castle of Despair. 55 00:02:36,958 --> 00:02:39,208 At the height of the Civil War, 56 00:02:39,292 --> 00:02:42,000 over 1,000 Union officers 57 00:02:42,042 --> 00:02:45,500 are packed like sardines into this building 58 00:02:45,542 --> 00:02:50,042 in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. 59 00:02:50,167 --> 00:02:52,750 With windows open to the elements, 60 00:02:52,833 --> 00:02:55,375 sanitation nonexistent, 61 00:02:55,458 --> 00:02:58,042 an infestation of rats, 62 00:02:58,125 --> 00:03:01,000 and a starvation diet, 63 00:03:01,083 --> 00:03:04,625 it isn't a question of if Libby will kill you, 64 00:03:04,708 --> 00:03:05,875 but when. 65 00:03:05,958 --> 00:03:07,958 ♪ 66 00:03:08,042 --> 00:03:10,875 - Five men died per day on average. 67 00:03:10,958 --> 00:03:15,625 So if you do the math, easily at least 1,000 prisoners 68 00:03:15,708 --> 00:03:17,375 perished inside Libby. 69 00:03:17,458 --> 00:03:20,292 - But Libby doesn't start out as the South's 70 00:03:20,375 --> 00:03:23,375 most notorious wartime prison. 71 00:03:23,458 --> 00:03:26,042 - Libby held Union officers. 72 00:03:26,125 --> 00:03:28,375 This was not a place where the average, 73 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:31,917 run of the mill soldier would go. 74 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,417 Tens of thousands of people 75 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:36,583 would eventually be held there. 76 00:03:36,708 --> 00:03:40,042 - There were roughly 1,000 at a time in the prison. 77 00:03:40,125 --> 00:03:42,333 That meant it was so crowded 78 00:03:42,375 --> 00:03:44,083 that men could hardly sit down. 79 00:03:44,083 --> 00:03:45,792 They could hardly lie down. 80 00:03:45,875 --> 00:03:48,333 They were literally piled on top of one another. 81 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:51,125 Libby was three stories on the land side, 82 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:54,667 four stories high on the water because it sloped down a hill 83 00:03:54,750 --> 00:03:56,792 to the canal and the James River. 84 00:03:56,875 --> 00:03:58,958 The first floor contained the offices 85 00:03:59,042 --> 00:04:00,708 for the warden, the guards, 86 00:04:00,792 --> 00:04:03,417 and the kitchen, and the hospital. 87 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:07,583 - On the bottom floor, on the river side, is the cellar, 88 00:04:07,667 --> 00:04:10,708 often referred to as The Dungeon. 89 00:04:10,792 --> 00:04:13,958 - They also cleared the area around the warehouse, 90 00:04:14,042 --> 00:04:17,083 so if anyone tried to run out of the warehouse, 91 00:04:17,208 --> 00:04:19,042 they would be seen in the open. 92 00:04:19,167 --> 00:04:22,333 They even painted the bottom part of the warehouse white, 93 00:04:22,375 --> 00:04:24,458 a bright white, so that at night, 94 00:04:24,542 --> 00:04:26,458 if a prisoner was walking along it, 95 00:04:26,542 --> 00:04:28,708 they would be silhouetted against the white 96 00:04:28,792 --> 00:04:31,708 rather than the darker color of the original warehouse. 97 00:04:31,833 --> 00:04:35,500 At any time, 24/7, there were several guards 98 00:04:35,625 --> 00:04:39,708 with armed muskets patrolling the perimeter of the prison. 99 00:04:39,792 --> 00:04:41,875 So if a guard outside the window 100 00:04:41,958 --> 00:04:45,583 saw someone even looking out the window, they would shoot. 101 00:04:45,708 --> 00:04:49,792 - Anybody that appears to be doing suspicious activity 102 00:04:49,875 --> 00:04:52,333 is right away watched even more closely 103 00:04:52,417 --> 00:04:54,000 or separated from others. 104 00:04:54,042 --> 00:04:57,500 - They only put prisoners on the second and third floors, 105 00:04:57,583 --> 00:05:00,167 and they put iron bars on the window. 106 00:05:00,250 --> 00:05:03,167 So it would be very difficult to escape. 107 00:05:03,208 --> 00:05:04,667 ♪ 108 00:05:04,708 --> 00:05:06,667 - Even if you were able to make it out 109 00:05:06,750 --> 00:05:08,833 of the building past the armed guards 110 00:05:08,917 --> 00:05:12,167 and over the perimeter fence without getting shot, 111 00:05:12,292 --> 00:05:14,000 you would then have the pleasure 112 00:05:14,083 --> 00:05:15,708 of being right in the heart 113 00:05:15,833 --> 00:05:18,667 of a very hostile enemy territory. 114 00:05:18,750 --> 00:05:20,500 - The geographic location of Libby 115 00:05:20,583 --> 00:05:23,208 actually made it difficult to escape. 116 00:05:23,333 --> 00:05:25,333 On one side is the city of Richmond. 117 00:05:25,417 --> 00:05:28,167 So you're in enemy territory, the enemy capital, 118 00:05:28,250 --> 00:05:30,167 filled with guards and soldiers. 119 00:05:30,208 --> 00:05:34,083 On the other side of Libby was the canal and the James River. 120 00:05:34,208 --> 00:05:37,542 Now, even if you could swim, the problem for the prisoners 121 00:05:37,625 --> 00:05:41,208 is they were so weak, so starved, 122 00:05:41,292 --> 00:05:42,375 that they didn't think they could make it 123 00:05:42,458 --> 00:05:43,458 across the river. 124 00:05:43,542 --> 00:05:45,042 - There's dysentery. 125 00:05:45,125 --> 00:05:47,417 There are all kinds of other types of bowel problems. 126 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:49,875 In fact, some of the most famous images 127 00:05:49,958 --> 00:05:51,667 of Civil War prisoners 128 00:05:51,750 --> 00:05:53,583 were actually taken from Libby. 129 00:05:53,667 --> 00:05:56,083 It's almost skeletal because of the starvation 130 00:05:56,167 --> 00:05:57,833 that was taking place. 131 00:05:57,958 --> 00:06:03,958 ♪ 132 00:06:04,042 --> 00:06:06,542 - But on October 1, 1863, 133 00:06:06,625 --> 00:06:09,167 a new inmate enters the prison 134 00:06:09,250 --> 00:06:13,042 determined from day one to escape. 135 00:06:13,125 --> 00:06:16,000 His name, Colonel Thomas Rose. 136 00:06:16,125 --> 00:06:21,667 ♪ 137 00:06:21,792 --> 00:06:24,333 - You couldn't pick up a more compelling hero 138 00:06:24,375 --> 00:06:25,917 than Colonel Thomas Rose. 139 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,333 [rock music] 140 00:06:28,458 --> 00:06:29,792 He was an abolitionist. 141 00:06:29,875 --> 00:06:32,333 He's a very quiet and mild-mannered 142 00:06:32,375 --> 00:06:33,625 schoolteacher and principal. 143 00:06:33,708 --> 00:06:36,583 But he is a physically big, 144 00:06:36,667 --> 00:06:38,833 powerful, and imposing man with a big beard. 145 00:06:38,917 --> 00:06:41,833 He would look at home today on a Harley-Davidson. 146 00:06:41,917 --> 00:06:44,292 ♪ 147 00:06:44,375 --> 00:06:46,708 Rose enters the war as a private. 148 00:06:46,833 --> 00:06:49,667 Within no time at all, he rises from private 149 00:06:49,708 --> 00:06:51,167 all the way up to colonel. 150 00:06:51,208 --> 00:06:52,250 Why? 151 00:06:52,333 --> 00:06:53,708 Not because of things he said. 152 00:06:53,833 --> 00:06:56,000 He wasn't an inspirational speaker. 153 00:06:56,083 --> 00:06:57,458 He was an inspirational doer. 154 00:06:57,542 --> 00:06:59,000 The men loved Rose. 155 00:06:59,042 --> 00:07:02,708 He was an officer who led from the front. 156 00:07:02,833 --> 00:07:05,500 - Rose is captured at the Battle of Chickamauga, 157 00:07:05,583 --> 00:07:08,417 the second bloodiest battle of the war. 158 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:12,500 And straight away, he's determined to break free. 159 00:07:12,583 --> 00:07:14,708 - They put him on a train, and they set off by train. 160 00:07:14,833 --> 00:07:16,542 It's at night. It's raining. 161 00:07:16,625 --> 00:07:18,500 Rose decides he's going to try to escape. 162 00:07:18,542 --> 00:07:20,500 He's on an open flat car. 163 00:07:20,542 --> 00:07:22,458 He jumps off the train, 164 00:07:22,542 --> 00:07:25,333 misjudges the landing, breaks an ankle. 165 00:07:25,417 --> 00:07:27,167 Still, he manages to run. 166 00:07:27,333 --> 00:07:28,708 The Confederates go after him. 167 00:07:28,792 --> 00:07:32,125 He eludes them for hours until he's caught. 168 00:07:32,208 --> 00:07:33,625 ♪ 169 00:07:33,708 --> 00:07:37,167 He's beaten savagely to a point of unconsciousness. 170 00:07:37,250 --> 00:07:44,167 ♪ 171 00:07:46,375 --> 00:07:48,625 - Rose is assigned to the central room 172 00:07:48,708 --> 00:07:52,875 on the third floor, dubbed the Chickamauga Room. 173 00:07:52,958 --> 00:07:56,500 That night, a fierce thunderstorm rolls in, 174 00:07:56,583 --> 00:07:58,875 forcing the normally trigger-happy guards 175 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,542 to find shelter. 176 00:08:00,625 --> 00:08:04,500 This allows Rose to search for potential escape routes. 177 00:08:04,542 --> 00:08:06,458 - The first time that Colonel Rose 178 00:08:06,542 --> 00:08:08,500 decides that he's going to try and escape, 179 00:08:08,583 --> 00:08:11,000 he noticed that there was a scaffolding 180 00:08:11,083 --> 00:08:12,917 up against the building. 181 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,708 The guards had been working on the roof, 182 00:08:14,792 --> 00:08:17,208 and a storm had moved in rather quickly. 183 00:08:17,333 --> 00:08:20,500 And so, they didn't bother to take the scaffolding down. 184 00:08:20,583 --> 00:08:21,667 - He's a big, strong man. 185 00:08:21,750 --> 00:08:23,625 If he can break those iron bars, 186 00:08:23,708 --> 00:08:25,083 he could jump onto the scaffolding, 187 00:08:25,167 --> 00:08:27,333 climb down, and just walk out of the prison 188 00:08:27,375 --> 00:08:29,042 at night in the storm. 189 00:08:29,125 --> 00:08:32,667 He's trying to open up the bars when lightning strikes. 190 00:08:32,792 --> 00:08:35,208 And a bolt of lightning on a moonless night 191 00:08:35,292 --> 00:08:37,000 brightens the whole scene. 192 00:08:37,083 --> 00:08:38,333 Rose gasps. 193 00:08:38,417 --> 00:08:41,917 There's a face right beside his. 194 00:08:42,042 --> 00:08:46,708 - It's the face of a man by the name of Major AG Hamilton. 195 00:08:46,792 --> 00:08:52,750 ♪ 196 00:08:52,833 --> 00:08:56,167 - Major AG Hamilton was from Kentucky. 197 00:08:56,250 --> 00:08:59,083 He was a member of the 12th Kentucky Cavalry, 198 00:08:59,167 --> 00:09:02,625 and he rose through the ranks just like Rose. 199 00:09:02,708 --> 00:09:04,167 - A dashing fellow. 200 00:09:04,250 --> 00:09:06,292 He looks a little bit like a musketeer. 201 00:09:06,375 --> 00:09:08,833 He's also a very charismatic individual. 202 00:09:08,917 --> 00:09:12,875 ♪ 203 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,792 - When they met for the first time, 204 00:09:14,875 --> 00:09:16,667 they were both planning to escape. 205 00:09:16,750 --> 00:09:18,667 In the end, they figured that the scaffolding 206 00:09:18,708 --> 00:09:20,625 was too far away from the building. 207 00:09:20,708 --> 00:09:23,333 They couldn't leap out to it safely. 208 00:09:23,417 --> 00:09:27,000 And so, they decided to end their attempt there. 209 00:09:27,083 --> 00:09:31,000 - Escaping on the scaffold is a non-starter. 210 00:09:31,083 --> 00:09:34,542 But Rose is just getting started. 211 00:09:34,542 --> 00:09:37,125 ♪ 212 00:09:37,208 --> 00:09:39,750 - The very next night, Rose sees what looks like 213 00:09:39,833 --> 00:09:42,000 a sewage line that runs into the canal 214 00:09:42,083 --> 00:09:43,792 and the river behind the prison. 215 00:09:43,875 --> 00:09:46,333 So he realizes, if I can get into the basement, 216 00:09:46,375 --> 00:09:48,083 and if I can get into the sewer, 217 00:09:48,208 --> 00:09:51,375 as repulsive as it is, he could swim through raw sewage 218 00:09:51,458 --> 00:09:55,000 and plop down into the canal or river and escape that way. 219 00:09:55,042 --> 00:09:58,542 - Colonel Rose sneaks downstairs to the kitchen 220 00:09:58,625 --> 00:10:00,583 on the first floor. 221 00:10:00,708 --> 00:10:02,833 Sentries patrol just a few feet 222 00:10:02,917 --> 00:10:04,958 on the other side of the wall. 223 00:10:05,042 --> 00:10:08,042 If guards catch him in the kitchen after hours, 224 00:10:08,125 --> 00:10:10,333 he'll be lucky to just be beaten. 225 00:10:10,458 --> 00:10:12,292 Searching in near-total darkness, 226 00:10:12,375 --> 00:10:17,333 Rose finds an unlocked entrance to the basement. 227 00:10:17,417 --> 00:10:21,375 He cracks open the door and is greeted by a stench so foul, 228 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:23,333 he almost vomits. 229 00:10:23,417 --> 00:10:27,125 Rose has just discovered the sections of the dungeon 230 00:10:27,208 --> 00:10:29,417 known as Rat Hell. 231 00:10:29,542 --> 00:10:31,125 ♪ 232 00:10:31,208 --> 00:10:34,333 - Thousands of rats were down in this awful, dank cellar 233 00:10:34,333 --> 00:10:36,292 with just a layer of straw. 234 00:10:36,375 --> 00:10:39,083 Imagine the terror. 235 00:10:39,167 --> 00:10:42,333 - Once deep in Rat Hell away from prying eyes... 236 00:10:42,375 --> 00:10:44,125 [dramatic music] 237 00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:47,875 Rose searches for the perfect spot to dig towards the sewer. 238 00:10:47,958 --> 00:10:50,917 - As Colonel Rose is exploring the cellars 239 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,583 of the Libby Prison, turns out, he's not alone. 240 00:10:55,583 --> 00:10:58,583 ♪ 241 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:00,792 - As the figure approaches, 242 00:11:00,875 --> 00:11:03,333 Rose scrambles to extinguish his light. 243 00:11:03,417 --> 00:11:05,250 [blows] 244 00:11:05,375 --> 00:11:10,375 Is his escape attempt over even before it began? 245 00:11:10,458 --> 00:11:13,000 ♪ 246 00:11:17,625 --> 00:11:20,500 [dramatic music] 247 00:11:20,583 --> 00:11:24,667 ♪ 248 00:11:24,708 --> 00:11:30,000 - Libby Prison, October 8, 1863. 249 00:11:30,083 --> 00:11:33,875 A daring escape is being attempted by a Union officer. 250 00:11:33,958 --> 00:11:35,750 ♪ 251 00:11:35,833 --> 00:11:38,000 Colonel Thomas Rose has just been spotted 252 00:11:38,125 --> 00:11:40,542 sneaking around the basement of Libby Prison 253 00:11:40,625 --> 00:11:43,083 looking for a way out. 254 00:11:43,167 --> 00:11:47,000 As the figure approaches, he braces for a fight. 255 00:11:47,042 --> 00:11:50,875 But out of the shadows comes a familiar face. 256 00:11:50,958 --> 00:11:53,000 ♪ 257 00:11:53,083 --> 00:11:56,792 - Rose and Hamilton, they both had the exact same idea 258 00:11:56,875 --> 00:11:58,333 on two consecutive nights. 259 00:11:58,417 --> 00:12:00,042 That's when they shake hands and agree that they're going 260 00:12:00,125 --> 00:12:02,125 to work together to escape. 261 00:12:02,125 --> 00:12:05,333 - Rose shares his plan with Hamilton 262 00:12:05,458 --> 00:12:08,667 to dig through the basement wall to the sewer pipe 263 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:11,000 just a few feet from the foundation. 264 00:12:11,125 --> 00:12:14,542 The sewer would then lead them to salvation 265 00:12:14,625 --> 00:12:16,625 by way of the river. 266 00:12:16,708 --> 00:12:19,875 Hamilton suggests a simpler approach. 267 00:12:19,958 --> 00:12:24,167 - The cellar had large doors that fronted on Dock Street. 268 00:12:24,250 --> 00:12:26,625 So Hamilton said, if we could get down in there, 269 00:12:26,708 --> 00:12:29,792 we could sort of time the guards' path, 270 00:12:29,875 --> 00:12:34,292 and make a dash for it, and be free. 271 00:12:34,375 --> 00:12:37,208 - They make their way across the rat-infested basement 272 00:12:37,292 --> 00:12:41,000 to the doors that lead to Dock Street and freedom. 273 00:12:41,042 --> 00:12:42,917 - As he got up close to the door, 274 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,458 he waited for the guard to pass right by-- 275 00:12:45,542 --> 00:12:49,208 I mean, literally right past where he was standing 276 00:12:49,292 --> 00:12:53,958 and started to-- you know, to poke his head out 277 00:12:53,958 --> 00:12:57,250 and start the escape when he was spotted. 278 00:12:57,375 --> 00:13:00,708 - Rose and Hamilton dash upstairs before the guard 279 00:13:00,708 --> 00:13:03,667 can ID them. 280 00:13:03,708 --> 00:13:09,167 - Rose and Hamilton gave that idea up almost immediately. 281 00:13:09,250 --> 00:13:11,667 They're never going to try that again. 282 00:13:11,708 --> 00:13:13,708 - The two Union officers regrouped 283 00:13:13,792 --> 00:13:16,375 and decide to attempt Rose's plan 284 00:13:16,458 --> 00:13:18,375 to tunnel out of the sewer. 285 00:13:18,458 --> 00:13:20,292 ♪ 286 00:13:20,292 --> 00:13:24,208 Problem is word of the previous night's disturbance 287 00:13:24,333 --> 00:13:27,083 has made its way to the warden. 288 00:13:27,167 --> 00:13:30,667 - Thomas Turner was the warden. 289 00:13:30,750 --> 00:13:33,500 He was a vicious, inhumane individual 290 00:13:33,542 --> 00:13:37,625 that took delight in torturing, beating, kicking, 291 00:13:37,708 --> 00:13:39,167 starving the prisoners. 292 00:13:39,250 --> 00:13:41,042 Turner wanted to be promoted to the ranks 293 00:13:41,125 --> 00:13:42,625 of colonel or general. 294 00:13:42,708 --> 00:13:44,125 He wanted to be a hero during the war. 295 00:13:44,208 --> 00:13:47,000 If prisoners escaped from the highest profile prison 296 00:13:47,125 --> 00:13:48,375 of the entire Confederacy, 297 00:13:48,458 --> 00:13:51,000 he knew he would never achieve his goal. 298 00:13:51,042 --> 00:13:53,292 So Turner cracked down viciously. 299 00:13:53,375 --> 00:13:55,708 - When Rose and Hamilton make their way back down 300 00:13:55,833 --> 00:13:58,000 to the cellar door that night, 301 00:13:58,042 --> 00:14:01,083 they discover more of Turner's handiwork. 302 00:14:01,208 --> 00:14:04,000 - Turner locked the door. It's double dead bolted. 303 00:14:04,083 --> 00:14:05,833 So we can't break the door open, 304 00:14:05,917 --> 00:14:07,250 or they'll realize he's there. 305 00:14:07,333 --> 00:14:10,542 He needs another way to get into Rat Hell. 306 00:14:10,625 --> 00:14:12,500 - Hamilton had an idea. 307 00:14:12,583 --> 00:14:19,500 ♪ 308 00:14:21,667 --> 00:14:23,833 - In the kitchen, there were a couple of huge 309 00:14:23,917 --> 00:14:25,833 black wrought-iron cauldrons 310 00:14:25,917 --> 00:14:28,667 that they would boil the inedible food in. 311 00:14:28,750 --> 00:14:31,125 Behind them was an unused fireplace. 312 00:14:31,208 --> 00:14:33,708 That fireplace, the location, they estimated, 313 00:14:33,792 --> 00:14:35,708 was not far from the point in the dungeon 314 00:14:35,833 --> 00:14:37,083 they needed to get to. 315 00:14:37,167 --> 00:14:40,208 So Hamilton says, if we can remove brick by brick 316 00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:43,042 each of the bricks from the fireplace, 317 00:14:43,125 --> 00:14:45,625 then each morning when we go back upstairs, 318 00:14:45,708 --> 00:14:49,583 replace the bricks brick by brick. 319 00:14:49,667 --> 00:14:52,625 But there's problems. 320 00:14:52,708 --> 00:14:55,833 One problem is how do you move those huge cauldrons? 321 00:14:55,917 --> 00:14:58,000 These things weighed an enormous amount. 322 00:14:58,083 --> 00:15:02,167 Second problem is they can only dig a tunnel so wide, 323 00:15:02,250 --> 00:15:04,667 and they have to make it like the letter Z, 324 00:15:04,750 --> 00:15:06,875 and then it'll cross down, over, 325 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,000 and then drop straight down into the dungeon. 326 00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:11,458 There's another problem. 327 00:15:11,542 --> 00:15:13,250 They had to remove all the bricks. 328 00:15:13,333 --> 00:15:16,000 - Freedom hanging in the balance, 329 00:15:16,042 --> 00:15:18,417 Rose and Hamilton will let nothing stand in the way 330 00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:19,917 of their escape. 331 00:15:20,042 --> 00:15:21,250 They quickly get to work 332 00:15:21,333 --> 00:15:23,167 solving their list of problems. 333 00:15:23,292 --> 00:15:25,000 ♪ 334 00:15:25,042 --> 00:15:26,875 - Rose was strong enough that he could actually 335 00:15:26,958 --> 00:15:29,167 pick up those cauldrons out of the way. 336 00:15:29,167 --> 00:15:31,500 - With one problem in the rearview, 337 00:15:31,667 --> 00:15:34,500 Hamilton gets to work solving problem number two. 338 00:15:34,625 --> 00:15:35,958 - Hamilton's resourceful. 339 00:15:36,042 --> 00:15:37,542 He's almost a MacGyver kind of figure. 340 00:15:37,667 --> 00:15:40,333 He steals things, comes up with innovative plans. 341 00:15:40,458 --> 00:15:43,833 And he steals a little jackknife. 342 00:15:43,875 --> 00:15:47,375 ♪ 343 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:50,333 - It's time for the men to put their plan into action 344 00:15:50,375 --> 00:15:53,375 in hopes of solving their biggest problem of all: 345 00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:55,292 getting out of Libby. 346 00:15:55,375 --> 00:16:00,083 ♪ 347 00:16:00,208 --> 00:16:02,167 - So they don't have a lot of time each night. 348 00:16:02,250 --> 00:16:04,208 They have to wait until the guards 349 00:16:04,292 --> 00:16:05,875 do the last roll call at night. 350 00:16:05,958 --> 00:16:07,833 And then, they need to wait until 351 00:16:07,917 --> 00:16:09,375 all the prisoners are fast asleep. 352 00:16:09,458 --> 00:16:11,833 A thousand prisoners with nothing to do, 353 00:16:11,875 --> 00:16:14,333 there's a lot of curious and prying eyes. 354 00:16:14,375 --> 00:16:17,833 Hamilton, he chips away at the mortar in between the bricks. 355 00:16:17,917 --> 00:16:20,208 They save the mortar. They go brick by brick. 356 00:16:20,292 --> 00:16:22,167 Each morning when they came out, 357 00:16:22,208 --> 00:16:23,500 they had to replace all the bricks, 358 00:16:23,583 --> 00:16:25,625 replace the mortar so no one would see it. 359 00:16:25,708 --> 00:16:29,000 And then, Rose would push the giant cauldrons back in place 360 00:16:29,042 --> 00:16:30,792 so that nobody saw it when they came down to eat 361 00:16:30,875 --> 00:16:32,458 the next day. 362 00:16:32,542 --> 00:16:35,875 - For more than two weeks, the men take out the bricks, 363 00:16:35,958 --> 00:16:38,708 dig the tunnel down towards the dungeon, 364 00:16:38,792 --> 00:16:42,542 then put back the bricks to cover their tracks, 365 00:16:42,625 --> 00:16:46,625 until finally, the fireplace tunnel is complete. 366 00:16:46,708 --> 00:16:51,250 ♪ 367 00:16:51,333 --> 00:16:53,042 - Once they got to the edge of it, 368 00:16:53,125 --> 00:16:55,500 they had to plop straight down in pitch black. 369 00:16:55,542 --> 00:16:58,125 They were worried that if they fell and landed wrong, 370 00:16:58,208 --> 00:16:59,208 what if they broke another ankle? 371 00:16:59,333 --> 00:17:01,917 Plus Rose's ankle never healed. 372 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,042 - Hamilton realizes that the drop 373 00:17:04,167 --> 00:17:06,167 from the tunnel exit to the ground 374 00:17:06,250 --> 00:17:09,042 is too high to safely leap from. 375 00:17:09,125 --> 00:17:11,458 Knowing full well what was at stake if Rose 376 00:17:11,542 --> 00:17:14,167 were to reinjure his bad ankle, 377 00:17:14,292 --> 00:17:16,917 the MacGyver quickly gets to work. 378 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,458 - Hamilton had stolen enough twine and rope that they made 379 00:17:20,542 --> 00:17:23,333 a rope ladder that they would tie on 380 00:17:23,375 --> 00:17:25,667 so they could actually climb down several feet 381 00:17:25,750 --> 00:17:26,958 to get down to the ground. 382 00:17:27,042 --> 00:17:28,458 - Rose goes first. 383 00:17:28,542 --> 00:17:31,083 And immediately, there's a problem. 384 00:17:31,167 --> 00:17:35,458 - Rose is so big, he becomes stuck inside the tunnel. 385 00:17:35,542 --> 00:17:37,458 And he's stuck at an awkward angle 386 00:17:37,542 --> 00:17:39,833 because he slips and falls part of the way down 387 00:17:39,917 --> 00:17:42,000 on the vertical part of the Z, 388 00:17:42,083 --> 00:17:44,292 which means his knees are up against his chest. 389 00:17:44,375 --> 00:17:45,750 He's having trouble breathing. 390 00:17:45,833 --> 00:17:47,625 He's losing consciousness. 391 00:17:47,708 --> 00:17:50,708 Hamilton can't get in to pull him out. 392 00:17:50,792 --> 00:17:52,417 - He got stuck. 393 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,708 He got stuck hard. He thought he was going to die. 394 00:17:55,792 --> 00:17:57,625 - Rose is dying. 395 00:17:57,708 --> 00:18:00,750 But he can't cry out, or they'll get caught. 396 00:18:00,833 --> 00:18:02,958 Hamilton's mind races. 397 00:18:03,083 --> 00:18:06,292 How can he save his friend in time? 398 00:18:10,625 --> 00:18:13,542 [dramatic music] 399 00:18:13,625 --> 00:18:18,333 ♪ 400 00:18:18,375 --> 00:18:20,042 - Colonel Thomas Rose is trapped 401 00:18:20,167 --> 00:18:22,792 in the tunnel behind me. 402 00:18:22,875 --> 00:18:27,000 He can't breathe, and he's quickly losing consciousness. 403 00:18:27,042 --> 00:18:31,500 His escape partner, Major AG Hamilton, 404 00:18:31,583 --> 00:18:35,833 has only moments to decide how to rescue him. 405 00:18:35,875 --> 00:18:39,333 Make the wrong decision, and their escape is over, 406 00:18:39,417 --> 00:18:42,458 along with Colonel Rose's life. 407 00:18:42,542 --> 00:18:43,875 ♪ 408 00:18:44,042 --> 00:18:45,792 - Rose got stuck. 409 00:18:45,875 --> 00:18:48,833 Every motion that he took, his chest is being compressed. 410 00:18:48,875 --> 00:18:50,333 He thought he was going to die. 411 00:18:50,375 --> 00:18:53,333 ♪ 412 00:18:53,417 --> 00:18:55,750 - Hamilton can't get him out of this passageway. 413 00:18:55,833 --> 00:18:59,000 - If Hamilton leaves Rose to die in the tunnel, 414 00:18:59,083 --> 00:19:01,333 the escape plot will surely be discovered, 415 00:19:01,417 --> 00:19:05,417 and all hell will be raised in the prison. 416 00:19:05,542 --> 00:19:09,667 But Hamilton recruits other prisoners for help. 417 00:19:09,750 --> 00:19:11,667 - He confides in them. They come down. 418 00:19:11,750 --> 00:19:14,167 They quickly dig out a little larger hole, 419 00:19:14,250 --> 00:19:15,833 and they pull Rose out. 420 00:19:15,875 --> 00:19:17,250 They resuscitate him. 421 00:19:17,333 --> 00:19:19,792 Rose lives through it. 422 00:19:19,875 --> 00:19:23,250 - Rose's life and his escape plot are spared. 423 00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:25,583 - But now they have a new problem. 424 00:19:25,667 --> 00:19:27,500 They took people into their confidence. 425 00:19:27,583 --> 00:19:29,000 They have to make sure that they're getting 426 00:19:29,083 --> 00:19:30,583 the right people that they can trust. 427 00:19:30,667 --> 00:19:33,208 - There's no time to lick their wounds. 428 00:19:33,333 --> 00:19:35,250 The party of four immediately get to work 429 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,167 removing the bricks and widening 430 00:19:37,208 --> 00:19:40,333 the tunnel in the dungeon. 431 00:19:40,417 --> 00:19:45,333 ♪ 432 00:19:45,417 --> 00:19:48,250 After weeks of work, they break into the dungeon. 433 00:19:48,375 --> 00:19:53,042 One tunnel down, another one to get started on. 434 00:19:53,125 --> 00:19:54,625 - Once they're in the dungeon, 435 00:19:54,708 --> 00:19:56,708 they have to try to get into the sewage system. 436 00:19:56,792 --> 00:19:59,500 - If they could tunnel into the sewer, 437 00:19:59,542 --> 00:20:01,625 they can follow that right on out. 438 00:20:01,708 --> 00:20:04,458 - But they have to break through the dungeon wall 439 00:20:04,542 --> 00:20:06,708 to get started on the next tunnel. 440 00:20:06,792 --> 00:20:09,167 - So you've got to get through the wall first, 441 00:20:09,208 --> 00:20:11,458 which turned out to be very tedious. 442 00:20:11,542 --> 00:20:16,292 - The men search for anything that can help them dig faster. 443 00:20:16,375 --> 00:20:18,792 - They realized that there was an old carpenter shop 444 00:20:18,875 --> 00:20:22,083 in the dungeon, and they left part of an old shovel 445 00:20:22,167 --> 00:20:23,542 at the old carpenter's area. 446 00:20:23,708 --> 00:20:25,958 Hamilton steals that and hides it in the dungeon. 447 00:20:25,958 --> 00:20:29,292 So now they have a little jackknife and part of a shovel 448 00:20:29,375 --> 00:20:30,958 to dig out of the tunnel. 449 00:20:31,042 --> 00:20:35,000 - But even with the extra set of hands and an extra tool, 450 00:20:35,083 --> 00:20:37,250 progress is still slow. 451 00:20:37,375 --> 00:20:40,583 - So Rose and Hamilton realize several days 452 00:20:40,667 --> 00:20:42,875 into this that it's taking a lot longer to tunnel 453 00:20:42,958 --> 00:20:46,667 out of Libby than they otherwise thought. 454 00:20:46,708 --> 00:20:49,792 - All the while, the threat of detection 455 00:20:49,875 --> 00:20:51,500 hangs over their heads. 456 00:20:51,625 --> 00:20:53,167 - They have to wait until the guards 457 00:20:53,250 --> 00:20:55,333 do the last roll call at night. 458 00:20:55,417 --> 00:20:57,958 Then, they've got to get back upstairs 459 00:20:58,042 --> 00:21:01,208 before the morning roll call, which meant they only had 460 00:21:01,292 --> 00:21:02,708 a few hours each night to dig. 461 00:21:02,833 --> 00:21:06,292 - Even with the two new members of their escape team, 462 00:21:06,375 --> 00:21:09,375 Rose and Hamilton decide they have no choice 463 00:21:09,458 --> 00:21:11,625 but to bring in additional help. 464 00:21:11,708 --> 00:21:14,000 - They ultimately pick 13 men. 465 00:21:14,042 --> 00:21:17,250 So with the two of them, they have a total of 15 men. 466 00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,542 - But bringing in new members to the crew 467 00:21:19,625 --> 00:21:23,417 also brings some very valuable information. 468 00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:25,917 One of the newly inducted members 469 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,250 is in contact with a spy. 470 00:21:29,375 --> 00:21:32,542 - Intelligence was at a premium inside the prison. 471 00:21:32,625 --> 00:21:36,333 In the genteel South of the 1860s, 472 00:21:36,458 --> 00:21:39,792 you're never going to suspect that a woman is a spy. 473 00:21:39,875 --> 00:21:43,167 - That woman is a highly intelligent 474 00:21:43,250 --> 00:21:45,375 and well-connected Union spy. 475 00:21:45,458 --> 00:21:48,833 Her name is Elizabeth Van Lew. 476 00:21:48,917 --> 00:21:54,250 ♪ 477 00:21:54,375 --> 00:21:56,458 - Elizabeth Van Lew is 478 00:21:56,542 --> 00:22:00,667 a very wealthy woman who lives in Richmond. 479 00:22:00,708 --> 00:22:04,292 As the war was progressing, she feigns mental illness. 480 00:22:04,375 --> 00:22:07,792 So they end up calling her Crazy Bet. 481 00:22:07,875 --> 00:22:10,375 - She would show up at the prison with plates of food. 482 00:22:10,458 --> 00:22:11,792 The deal was this. 483 00:22:11,875 --> 00:22:14,625 She would give the food to the guards and officers 484 00:22:14,708 --> 00:22:17,417 if they allowed her to give some food to the prisoners. 485 00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:20,708 They took the deal because they themselves were starving. 486 00:22:20,833 --> 00:22:23,042 And so, when she fed the prisoners, 487 00:22:23,125 --> 00:22:27,208 she had a hidden compartment under one of her dishes 488 00:22:27,208 --> 00:22:28,333 where there were notes. 489 00:22:28,417 --> 00:22:30,542 She gave the prisoners intelligence. 490 00:22:30,625 --> 00:22:31,875 Here's how you escape. 491 00:22:31,958 --> 00:22:33,458 Here's where the guards are and are not. 492 00:22:33,542 --> 00:22:36,542 And here's how to get to Williamsburg. 493 00:22:36,625 --> 00:22:39,417 - Van Lew's intel will be vital for the men 494 00:22:39,542 --> 00:22:41,750 once they escape the hell that is Libby. 495 00:22:41,833 --> 00:22:44,333 But before they can worry about making their way 496 00:22:44,375 --> 00:22:46,292 to Williamsburg, they will first 497 00:22:46,375 --> 00:22:48,458 need to focus on tunneling their way out 498 00:22:48,542 --> 00:22:50,708 of this damn building. 499 00:22:50,792 --> 00:22:55,500 - They decide to work in three five-man crews. 500 00:22:55,583 --> 00:22:58,500 That way, at least Rose and Hamilton can get some sleep, 501 00:22:58,542 --> 00:23:01,667 and they can make more progress in the tunnel. 502 00:23:01,750 --> 00:23:05,208 - But with more progress comes more problems. 503 00:23:05,208 --> 00:23:09,667 ♪ 504 00:23:09,750 --> 00:23:13,208 First of all, the deeper they get into the tunnel, 505 00:23:13,292 --> 00:23:15,500 the less oxygen there is. 506 00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:18,208 - Rose got about 15 feet in. 507 00:23:18,333 --> 00:23:22,542 Now, there's no circulation of air at all. 508 00:23:22,625 --> 00:23:25,000 And he's got this little candle, and so, you know, 509 00:23:25,042 --> 00:23:27,500 the candle would start to sort of flicker 510 00:23:27,542 --> 00:23:29,500 and eventually die out. 511 00:23:29,583 --> 00:23:31,833 He knew, ooie, this is bad. 512 00:23:31,917 --> 00:23:34,583 If you did pass out from lack of oxygen, 513 00:23:34,667 --> 00:23:36,167 how's anybody going to get in there 514 00:23:36,250 --> 00:23:39,333 and get you out before you die? 515 00:23:39,417 --> 00:23:42,500 - They need a way to get oxygen into the tunnel. 516 00:23:42,583 --> 00:23:46,625 Hamilton steals a broad-brimmed straw hat, 517 00:23:46,708 --> 00:23:49,833 and he steals twine and pieces of wood. 518 00:23:49,875 --> 00:23:51,875 With the broad-brimmed straw hat, 519 00:23:51,958 --> 00:23:55,708 he ties the wood to it so it makes a rigid brim around it. 520 00:23:55,792 --> 00:23:58,125 He stands at the entrance and does a fan. 521 00:23:58,208 --> 00:24:03,417 He fans air into the tunnel to keep Rose from passing out. 522 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:05,500 - The other issue the men face 523 00:24:05,625 --> 00:24:08,792 is what to do with all of the dirt they're excavating. 524 00:24:08,875 --> 00:24:11,667 Now, Rose and Hamilton have a system in place 525 00:24:11,792 --> 00:24:14,000 with their five-man teams. 526 00:24:14,083 --> 00:24:15,417 One man digs. 527 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:17,458 Another fans air into the tunnel. 528 00:24:17,542 --> 00:24:19,292 A third hides the dirt. 529 00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:21,417 A fourth is on the lookout. 530 00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:24,125 And the fifth man steps in where needed 531 00:24:24,208 --> 00:24:26,167 to give the others a break. 532 00:24:26,250 --> 00:24:30,792 ♪ 533 00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:33,083 - Ultimately, this entire project, 534 00:24:33,083 --> 00:24:36,500 Rose does the lion's share of all the digging. 535 00:24:36,583 --> 00:24:38,542 For several nights digging into the dirt, 536 00:24:38,625 --> 00:24:40,333 Rose finally gets to the edge 537 00:24:40,375 --> 00:24:42,042 of what is obviously the sewer, 538 00:24:42,167 --> 00:24:43,958 and he starts chipping away. 539 00:24:44,042 --> 00:24:46,792 - So as he's digging, digging, digging, digging, 540 00:24:46,792 --> 00:24:48,958 all of a sudden, it just bursts. 541 00:24:49,042 --> 00:24:53,667 ♪ 542 00:24:53,708 --> 00:24:55,917 It just bursts upon him with these gallons 543 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,583 and gallons of sewage that are inundating him. 544 00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:02,708 Now he's got to somehow not drown and then get out 545 00:25:02,875 --> 00:25:05,458 of where he is, because he is 546 00:25:05,542 --> 00:25:07,458 literally going to drown in sewage. 547 00:25:07,542 --> 00:25:09,458 - Colonel Rose is trapped in a river 548 00:25:09,542 --> 00:25:13,000 of unimaginable sewer-smelling foulness. 549 00:25:13,042 --> 00:25:18,125 And he has just seconds before he drowns in human excrement. 550 00:25:22,583 --> 00:25:25,375 [intense music] 551 00:25:25,458 --> 00:25:29,375 ♪ 552 00:25:29,458 --> 00:25:32,833 - While attempting to dig his way out of Libby Prison, 553 00:25:32,875 --> 00:25:36,958 Colonel Thomas Rose has pierced a sewage line, 554 00:25:37,042 --> 00:25:39,208 unleashing a torrent of foulness 555 00:25:39,333 --> 00:25:41,667 that now threatens his life. 556 00:25:41,750 --> 00:25:43,750 - The entire system collapses. 557 00:25:43,833 --> 00:25:45,375 There's so much water and sewage, 558 00:25:45,458 --> 00:25:46,958 it fills the tunnel. 559 00:25:47,042 --> 00:25:49,500 He's gagging. He's drowning. 560 00:25:49,583 --> 00:25:52,000 Hamilton has to drag him out by the feet. 561 00:25:52,125 --> 00:25:55,208 Rose almost dies, and he comes close to it, 562 00:25:55,292 --> 00:25:59,667 but eventually, Hamilton resuscitates him. 563 00:25:59,792 --> 00:26:02,292 - But there's no time to celebrate Rose's survival. 564 00:26:02,375 --> 00:26:05,792 If the men cannot plug the rapidly-spewing sewer, 565 00:26:05,875 --> 00:26:08,125 then guards will be alerted to the leak, 566 00:26:08,208 --> 00:26:11,750 and the escape plot will be foiled. 567 00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:15,792 - And it emitted this terrible odor, alerted all the guards. 568 00:26:15,875 --> 00:26:17,708 So they had to reseal the thing. 569 00:26:17,792 --> 00:26:19,833 - The men begin to fill the tunnel with dirt 570 00:26:19,917 --> 00:26:22,167 in order to stop the leak. 571 00:26:22,250 --> 00:26:24,458 After a frantic few moments, 572 00:26:24,542 --> 00:26:28,125 the sewage leak is halted. 573 00:26:28,208 --> 00:26:31,458 But their path to freedom is now closed. 574 00:26:31,542 --> 00:26:34,000 And now they have another problem. 575 00:26:34,042 --> 00:26:37,458 - In a moment, not only are his plans dashed, 576 00:26:37,542 --> 00:26:39,292 but now he's got another problem, 577 00:26:39,375 --> 00:26:41,458 which is he's covered in raw sewage 578 00:26:41,542 --> 00:26:45,625 and how is he going to explain this to the prison guards? 579 00:26:45,708 --> 00:26:48,625 - So Rose has to strip down and rub in the dirt 580 00:26:48,708 --> 00:26:50,875 to try to rub all the sewage off 581 00:26:50,958 --> 00:26:55,167 and go basically half naked back to his floor to sleep. 582 00:26:55,250 --> 00:26:57,000 - After months of digging, 583 00:26:57,083 --> 00:27:01,708 the plot to escape Libby has gone down the toilet. 584 00:27:01,708 --> 00:27:05,708 The sewer was the last chance for freedom. 585 00:27:05,833 --> 00:27:07,417 - They weren't caught. 586 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,917 But at that point, 587 00:27:10,042 --> 00:27:12,500 a lot of the other men dropped out of the project. 588 00:27:12,542 --> 00:27:14,792 - Their dreams of life as free men 589 00:27:14,875 --> 00:27:17,833 have been buried in the bowels of Libby. 590 00:27:17,917 --> 00:27:21,000 - Hamilton was dejected. He was ready to give up. 591 00:27:21,083 --> 00:27:23,042 He proposed to Rose, maybe we just give up 592 00:27:23,042 --> 00:27:25,042 the effort to escape and just try to live. 593 00:27:25,167 --> 00:27:26,833 But Rose would hear nothing of it. 594 00:27:26,958 --> 00:27:30,208 He immediately starts planning another tunnel. 595 00:27:30,292 --> 00:27:35,292 ♪ 596 00:27:35,375 --> 00:27:36,833 Rose again looks around. 597 00:27:36,875 --> 00:27:38,875 He's looking around for weaknesses. 598 00:27:38,958 --> 00:27:41,958 He spends a fair amount of time looking out the windows 599 00:27:42,042 --> 00:27:45,208 at the surrounding areas and notices 600 00:27:45,292 --> 00:27:48,333 that on the other side of the perimeter fence 601 00:27:48,375 --> 00:27:50,458 is a small shed. 602 00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:52,792 And he figures if he could dig a tunnel 603 00:27:52,875 --> 00:27:55,375 out past the perimeter fence, 604 00:27:55,500 --> 00:27:57,333 he could use not only the fence, 605 00:27:57,417 --> 00:28:00,000 but the shadows of the shed 606 00:28:00,042 --> 00:28:03,458 to hide him and to hide all of the other prisoners 607 00:28:03,542 --> 00:28:05,667 that are going to come out. 608 00:28:05,750 --> 00:28:08,208 - Compared to the last tunnel, 609 00:28:08,292 --> 00:28:11,917 this new plan will be a colossal undertaking. 610 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,125 At least 50 feet long, 611 00:28:14,208 --> 00:28:17,542 it will be over triple the length of the last one. 612 00:28:17,625 --> 00:28:21,375 Plus, they'll be aiming for a precise point 613 00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:23,875 with no surefire way to check 614 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,583 if they'll come up in the desired location. 615 00:28:27,583 --> 00:28:29,000 - How do they measure that? 616 00:28:29,125 --> 00:28:32,000 There must have been some serious math involved. 617 00:28:32,083 --> 00:28:33,958 - Time is of the essence. 618 00:28:34,042 --> 00:28:35,667 [thunder rumbles] [soldiers shouting] 619 00:28:35,708 --> 00:28:37,083 - As the war progressed in the South, 620 00:28:37,167 --> 00:28:39,750 Richmond began to run out of food. 621 00:28:39,833 --> 00:28:41,500 And, of course, the prisoners of war 622 00:28:41,583 --> 00:28:43,083 are not going to be the first recipients 623 00:28:43,167 --> 00:28:45,250 of any food that there is available. 624 00:28:45,375 --> 00:28:46,958 ♪ 625 00:28:47,042 --> 00:28:49,250 It became more and more dire, the situation. 626 00:28:49,333 --> 00:28:50,917 What the prisoners were receiving 627 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,292 was not enough calories for the day 628 00:28:53,375 --> 00:28:55,000 to even keep them alive. 629 00:28:55,083 --> 00:28:59,083 - Libby becomes a horror show, an absolute horror show. 630 00:28:59,167 --> 00:29:01,708 - This was their last chance. 631 00:29:01,792 --> 00:29:05,500 Make it out alive or starve to death. 632 00:29:05,542 --> 00:29:08,833 ♪ 633 00:29:08,958 --> 00:29:12,167 - Rose and Hamilton realizes it's a race for time. 634 00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:14,583 If they're working and digging around the clock, 635 00:29:14,667 --> 00:29:15,958 they can get out quicker 636 00:29:16,042 --> 00:29:18,708 before they all starve to death. 637 00:29:18,792 --> 00:29:20,500 - But there's no way Hamilton and Rose 638 00:29:20,542 --> 00:29:23,833 can perform this monumental task on their own. 639 00:29:23,875 --> 00:29:26,750 Knowing they will need all the hands they can get, 640 00:29:26,833 --> 00:29:29,833 Rose gives one last impassioned speech 641 00:29:29,917 --> 00:29:32,042 to his former conspirators. 642 00:29:32,042 --> 00:29:34,667 - So at first, it's just Rose and Hamilton. 643 00:29:34,792 --> 00:29:37,833 Slowly, you see this prison party develop 644 00:29:37,875 --> 00:29:40,208 of about 12 men total. 645 00:29:40,292 --> 00:29:43,042 The idea was that once they started tunneling, 646 00:29:43,125 --> 00:29:45,792 you'd have three work parties of four men. 647 00:29:45,875 --> 00:29:47,750 And that way, it would be easier 648 00:29:47,833 --> 00:29:50,500 to keep work going constantly, 649 00:29:50,583 --> 00:29:52,417 but also not make it such that 650 00:29:52,500 --> 00:29:56,167 12 people were missing at any given time. 651 00:29:56,250 --> 00:29:58,375 - The problem now is Turner starts 652 00:29:58,375 --> 00:30:00,958 imposing roll calls throughout the day 653 00:30:01,042 --> 00:30:03,292 all the way from sunup till sundown. 654 00:30:03,375 --> 00:30:06,208 - Rose and Hamilton come up with a simple yet ingenious 655 00:30:06,292 --> 00:30:08,625 way to hide the fact that four men 656 00:30:08,708 --> 00:30:12,667 are secretly digging in the basement at any given time. 657 00:30:12,750 --> 00:30:14,833 - When the guards tried to count heads, 658 00:30:14,875 --> 00:30:17,042 the prisoners would take a hat off and hold it up 659 00:30:17,125 --> 00:30:18,500 with their hand next to them, 660 00:30:18,583 --> 00:30:21,000 or they'd duck down and run and pop back up 661 00:30:21,083 --> 00:30:24,917 that very rarely did the roll calls turn out accurately. 662 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:26,917 - Over the next several weeks, 663 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,292 the digging continues unabated. 664 00:30:29,375 --> 00:30:31,042 - So Rose is digging. 665 00:30:31,125 --> 00:30:36,000 Now, the trick is, how do you know you've gone far enough? 666 00:30:36,042 --> 00:30:40,458 Everything they've been doing has been done by guesstimation. 667 00:30:40,458 --> 00:30:42,750 And so, they took the measure. 668 00:30:42,833 --> 00:30:46,917 They thought, I think we've got it. 669 00:30:47,042 --> 00:30:49,167 And so, they began to dig up. 670 00:30:49,250 --> 00:30:54,625 ♪ 671 00:30:54,708 --> 00:30:56,750 - But just when it looks like 672 00:30:56,833 --> 00:30:59,167 Rose has solved the escape puzzle, 673 00:30:59,208 --> 00:31:02,417 the whole plan starts to fall apart 674 00:31:02,542 --> 00:31:05,167 right in front of his eyes. 675 00:31:05,250 --> 00:31:06,250 - He comes up. 676 00:31:06,333 --> 00:31:07,750 He's on the wrong side of the fencing. 677 00:31:07,875 --> 00:31:10,000 There's a Confederate guard, a boot, 678 00:31:10,083 --> 00:31:12,167 and a leg right there where he comes up. 679 00:31:12,250 --> 00:31:15,833 The guard sees the hole and yells to another guard, 680 00:31:15,917 --> 00:31:18,250 come over here, there's something here. 681 00:31:18,333 --> 00:31:20,500 Rose can't move. He can't turn around. 682 00:31:20,583 --> 00:31:22,583 He has to back out, but he doesn't want to make a sound. 683 00:31:22,708 --> 00:31:24,083 So he freezes. 684 00:31:24,208 --> 00:31:28,208 - Rose's estimations are grossly miscalculated. 685 00:31:28,292 --> 00:31:30,708 His tunnel to freedom has come up 686 00:31:30,833 --> 00:31:33,625 inside the perimeter of Libby 687 00:31:33,708 --> 00:31:36,833 and right at the feet of two Confederate guards. 688 00:31:36,958 --> 00:31:38,292 - The other guard comes over 689 00:31:38,375 --> 00:31:40,167 and with a bayonet on the end of his musket, 690 00:31:40,250 --> 00:31:42,500 he starts jabbing into the hole. 691 00:31:42,583 --> 00:31:45,542 The bayonet cuts right across Rose's face, 692 00:31:45,625 --> 00:31:46,875 almost went in his eye. 693 00:31:46,958 --> 00:31:48,458 Rose can't cry out. 694 00:31:48,542 --> 00:31:51,167 He just lies there in the tunnel and takes it. 695 00:31:51,250 --> 00:31:53,167 - Staring death in the face, 696 00:31:53,250 --> 00:31:57,417 all Colonel Rose can do is watch and pray. 697 00:32:01,583 --> 00:32:04,500 [dramatic music] 698 00:32:04,583 --> 00:32:08,833 ♪ 699 00:32:08,875 --> 00:32:12,500 - Colonel Thomas Rose is digging the exit of his escape tunnel 700 00:32:12,583 --> 00:32:14,708 from Libby Prison. 701 00:32:14,792 --> 00:32:17,000 Only, he's come up short. 702 00:32:17,083 --> 00:32:20,500 Instead of being on the far side of the perimeter fence, 703 00:32:20,542 --> 00:32:23,167 he's inches away from two Confederate guards, 704 00:32:23,208 --> 00:32:25,875 one of whom has sliced the colonel's face 705 00:32:25,958 --> 00:32:28,708 while searching the hole with his bayonet. 706 00:32:28,792 --> 00:32:33,500 If he cries out in pain, the entire escape plan is ruined. 707 00:32:33,583 --> 00:32:35,167 ♪ 708 00:32:35,250 --> 00:32:38,625 - Rose is right there next to a guard in the tunnel, 709 00:32:38,708 --> 00:32:40,167 in the dark. 710 00:32:40,208 --> 00:32:44,125 - One slight move, and it's curtains for Rose. 711 00:32:44,208 --> 00:32:45,958 - Finally, the guards say, ah, there's nothing there. 712 00:32:46,042 --> 00:32:47,583 It must have been those rats 713 00:32:47,708 --> 00:32:50,417 that are always tunneling in and out. 714 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:51,958 And the guards leave. 715 00:32:52,042 --> 00:32:53,667 Rose makes it. 716 00:32:53,750 --> 00:32:59,000 - Once again, Rose's life and escape plot are spared. 717 00:32:59,083 --> 00:33:00,833 As soon as the guards are out of sight, 718 00:33:00,917 --> 00:33:04,417 Rose marks the hole so he can measure his progress. 719 00:33:04,500 --> 00:33:06,583 - Colonel Rose stuck a shoe and a shirt 720 00:33:06,667 --> 00:33:09,042 up through the ground cover, trying to cover up the fact 721 00:33:09,125 --> 00:33:10,833 that there was a hole there. 722 00:33:10,875 --> 00:33:13,667 - The next day, he peeks out the window to see the shoe. 723 00:33:13,750 --> 00:33:16,292 So now he knows how many feet he has to dig. 724 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:18,083 - The target point behind the shed 725 00:33:18,208 --> 00:33:20,375 is still another 12 feet away, 726 00:33:20,458 --> 00:33:22,667 a devastating blow for the diggers. 727 00:33:22,750 --> 00:33:26,375 The men are growing weaker, and after so many close calls, 728 00:33:26,375 --> 00:33:29,750 the escapees' morale is at an all-time low. 729 00:33:29,833 --> 00:33:32,417 - From the time that they had come up short until 730 00:33:32,542 --> 00:33:36,500 Colonel Rose hit a fence post, and he knows that he's close, 731 00:33:36,583 --> 00:33:39,333 so he continues the tunnel to what he knows 732 00:33:39,375 --> 00:33:41,792 is the other side of the fence, where he would 733 00:33:41,875 --> 00:33:44,667 be blind to the prison guards. 734 00:33:44,708 --> 00:33:46,625 He clears the fence. 735 00:33:46,708 --> 00:33:48,625 He starts digging upwards. 736 00:33:48,708 --> 00:33:55,583 ♪ 737 00:33:56,833 --> 00:34:01,167 - Colonel Rose emerges in the shed beyond the prison fence. 738 00:34:01,250 --> 00:34:04,167 For the first time since his capture, 739 00:34:04,208 --> 00:34:08,333 he tastes the fresh air of freedom. 740 00:34:08,417 --> 00:34:11,542 ♪ 741 00:34:11,625 --> 00:34:14,375 - He walks down to Canal Street, looks both ways, 742 00:34:14,458 --> 00:34:17,083 figures out that there's not a lot of traffic there. 743 00:34:17,167 --> 00:34:20,250 And it's already pretty late in the evening. 744 00:34:20,333 --> 00:34:23,625 So despite what must have been an overwhelming desire 745 00:34:23,708 --> 00:34:26,708 to run towards freedom, he doesn't. 746 00:34:26,792 --> 00:34:29,000 He gets back in the tunnel that they've dug, 747 00:34:29,083 --> 00:34:31,042 climbs back out into the cellar, 748 00:34:31,125 --> 00:34:33,000 and tells everyone. 749 00:34:33,083 --> 00:34:34,417 - Rose came out and said, 750 00:34:34,542 --> 00:34:35,667 but we're not going to leave tonight. 751 00:34:35,708 --> 00:34:37,667 We don't have enough time. We're exhausted. 752 00:34:37,750 --> 00:34:40,042 We need a whole day of resting. 753 00:34:40,208 --> 00:34:42,583 We need to sleep. We'll leave tomorrow night. 754 00:34:42,667 --> 00:34:44,333 All the while, Rose was encouraging men 755 00:34:44,417 --> 00:34:46,625 to save a little bit of food. 756 00:34:46,708 --> 00:34:48,917 - Ample food and protection from the elements 757 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,667 were not the only issues the escapees needed to plan for. 758 00:34:52,750 --> 00:34:54,917 ♪ 759 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,458 - They needed to know where the Confederate guards were. 760 00:34:57,542 --> 00:35:00,417 They needed to know where the closest Union line was, 761 00:35:00,542 --> 00:35:02,292 which, in this case, was Williamsburg 762 00:35:02,375 --> 00:35:04,333 about 60 miles away. 763 00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:07,375 - It's not like it's a straight shot to Williamsburg. 764 00:35:07,542 --> 00:35:11,208 There are only a few roads that go all the way there, 765 00:35:11,292 --> 00:35:12,917 and those roads were heavily picketed. 766 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,458 The prisoners who are escaping cannot travel by the roads. 767 00:35:15,542 --> 00:35:19,542 ♪ 768 00:35:19,625 --> 00:35:23,833 - Rose ordered that the men all gather in the kitchen. 769 00:35:23,958 --> 00:35:25,167 He gave them instructions. 770 00:35:25,250 --> 00:35:27,417 He had made a map from intelligence 771 00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:28,917 from Elizabeth Van Lew. 772 00:35:29,042 --> 00:35:31,458 So now they knew where to go. 773 00:35:31,542 --> 00:35:37,833 ♪ 774 00:35:37,917 --> 00:35:39,833 - Rested, clothed, 775 00:35:39,917 --> 00:35:43,208 and with Union spy Elizabeth Van Lew's information 776 00:35:43,333 --> 00:35:45,667 about the path to Williamsburg in hand, 777 00:35:45,708 --> 00:35:49,125 all that was left to do was escape. 778 00:35:49,208 --> 00:35:51,167 In groups of twos and threes, 779 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:53,500 the men crawl through the tunnel they have spent 780 00:35:53,542 --> 00:35:55,625 the last 53 days digging. 781 00:35:55,708 --> 00:35:57,792 ♪ 782 00:35:57,875 --> 00:36:01,000 - Rose and Hamilton pop out of the other end of the tunnel. 783 00:36:01,083 --> 00:36:03,250 ♪ 784 00:36:03,375 --> 00:36:05,875 It had been five months since they've been able 785 00:36:05,958 --> 00:36:08,125 to stand outside of the prison 786 00:36:08,208 --> 00:36:10,333 and breathe free air. 787 00:36:10,417 --> 00:36:16,333 ♪ 788 00:36:16,375 --> 00:36:17,750 There is no time to wait, however. 789 00:36:17,833 --> 00:36:20,333 Rose ran, then Hamilton followed him. 790 00:36:20,458 --> 00:36:22,792 They're working their way through Richmond. 791 00:36:22,875 --> 00:36:26,333 - The men used their map and the intelligence from Van Lew 792 00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:30,375 to try and navigate past the city guards. 793 00:36:30,500 --> 00:36:32,250 But it quickly becomes apparent 794 00:36:32,333 --> 00:36:35,750 that Rose's injured ankle is slowing him down. 795 00:36:35,833 --> 00:36:38,708 - Rose and Hamilton had developed a fast friendship. 796 00:36:38,708 --> 00:36:40,667 They were brothers-in-arms by this time. 797 00:36:40,750 --> 00:36:42,417 Hamilton would never abandon Rose, 798 00:36:42,500 --> 00:36:44,083 and Rose would never abandon Hamilton. 799 00:36:44,167 --> 00:36:46,500 But at one point, they turned a corner, 800 00:36:46,625 --> 00:36:49,167 and there was a group of Confederate soldiers. 801 00:36:49,292 --> 00:36:50,625 Rose decides to stop. 802 00:36:50,708 --> 00:36:53,458 One, he wants Hamilton to get away. 803 00:36:53,542 --> 00:36:55,667 Two, he realizes he can't run. 804 00:36:55,708 --> 00:36:57,500 Rose walks up to the soldiers pretending that 805 00:36:57,542 --> 00:36:59,667 he's a local resident and just starts 806 00:36:59,708 --> 00:37:01,917 talking about this and that with them 807 00:37:02,042 --> 00:37:03,458 as Hamilton's running. 808 00:37:03,542 --> 00:37:07,500 Hamilton looks back and sees, oh my gosh, Rose is captured. 809 00:37:07,542 --> 00:37:10,167 - After nearly six months of pining for freedom 810 00:37:10,250 --> 00:37:13,292 from an unimaginable hell, Rose, 811 00:37:13,375 --> 00:37:16,083 a man of sheer will and brute strength, 812 00:37:16,167 --> 00:37:20,458 must now rely on his wit if he is to avoid being imprisoned 813 00:37:20,542 --> 00:37:24,333 or, even worse, killed. 814 00:37:28,708 --> 00:37:31,542 [dramatic music] 815 00:37:31,625 --> 00:37:32,833 ♪ 816 00:37:32,875 --> 00:37:36,375 - Colonel Thomas Rose has spent nearly five months 817 00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:40,250 tirelessly leading an escape from Libby Prison. 818 00:37:40,375 --> 00:37:43,333 He's almost been caught or killed several times. 819 00:37:43,417 --> 00:37:46,333 Now, on the night of the prison break, 820 00:37:46,375 --> 00:37:49,125 he's waylaid by a group of guards. 821 00:37:49,208 --> 00:37:52,375 And his right hand man, AG Hamilton, 822 00:37:52,500 --> 00:37:56,042 must choose between saving his friend 823 00:37:56,125 --> 00:37:59,333 or saving himself. 824 00:37:59,458 --> 00:38:01,458 - Hamilton then slinks away in the dark 825 00:38:01,542 --> 00:38:03,542 and continues to run by himself to Williamsburg. 826 00:38:03,625 --> 00:38:06,833 It's hard to imagine how horrific Hamilton must have felt 827 00:38:06,875 --> 00:38:08,958 running and turning around and realizing 828 00:38:09,042 --> 00:38:13,292 Rose is sacrificing himself so that Hamilton could escape. 829 00:38:13,375 --> 00:38:15,500 - But Rose isn't giving up that easily. 830 00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:17,625 - Rose had a disheveled look, 831 00:38:17,708 --> 00:38:19,417 but everybody in Richmond looked disheveled 832 00:38:19,500 --> 00:38:21,458 from this point in time. People were not eating. 833 00:38:21,542 --> 00:38:25,208 So Rose managed to play that he was a local resident. 834 00:38:25,333 --> 00:38:28,167 - It turns out Colonel Rose is wittier 835 00:38:28,208 --> 00:38:30,833 than he had ever been given credit for. 836 00:38:30,875 --> 00:38:34,042 The sentries, disgusted by Rose's filth, 837 00:38:34,125 --> 00:38:35,875 send him on his way. 838 00:38:35,958 --> 00:38:38,417 - Rose then turns, and walks down a dark alleyway, 839 00:38:38,500 --> 00:38:40,917 and continues his run. 840 00:38:41,042 --> 00:38:44,708 - The escapees will have 12 unfettered hours 841 00:38:44,792 --> 00:38:48,500 before there's a roll call, and almost everybody gets out 842 00:38:48,542 --> 00:38:50,792 of the city itself before the Confederates 843 00:38:50,875 --> 00:38:55,125 are able to organize any kind of response. 844 00:38:55,208 --> 00:38:59,792 - 109 prisoners make it through the tunnel that night. 845 00:38:59,875 --> 00:39:02,667 But when the sun rises the following morning... 846 00:39:02,708 --> 00:39:05,833 ♪ 847 00:39:05,958 --> 00:39:07,833 All hell breaks loose. 848 00:39:07,875 --> 00:39:09,333 ♪ 849 00:39:09,458 --> 00:39:11,208 - Turner is bound and determined 850 00:39:11,208 --> 00:39:12,500 to catch every single man. 851 00:39:12,542 --> 00:39:14,750 It's the largest prison break in American history. 852 00:39:14,833 --> 00:39:16,792 109 men make it out of the tunnel. 853 00:39:16,875 --> 00:39:19,833 The Confederate authorities are bound and determined 854 00:39:19,917 --> 00:39:20,875 to capture everyone. 855 00:39:20,958 --> 00:39:23,292 This is an embarrassment. 856 00:39:23,375 --> 00:39:25,292 So they're going to do everything they can. 857 00:39:25,375 --> 00:39:27,583 They have teams of soldiers on horseback 858 00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:29,750 with dogs combing the area. 859 00:39:29,833 --> 00:39:32,667 All Confederate sentries surrounding Richmond 860 00:39:32,792 --> 00:39:35,458 are put on full alert, look for the soldiers. 861 00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:38,167 - Once free of the city, it's a mad dash 862 00:39:38,250 --> 00:39:40,708 for the Union lines at Williamsburg. 863 00:39:40,792 --> 00:39:42,042 - Hamilton was one of the first 864 00:39:42,167 --> 00:39:43,417 to make it to Williamsburg. 865 00:39:43,542 --> 00:39:45,375 And therefore, he alerted everyone 866 00:39:45,458 --> 00:39:48,417 in Williamsburg that prisoners of war from Libby 867 00:39:48,500 --> 00:39:49,875 are on their way. 868 00:39:49,958 --> 00:39:52,333 So Union soldiers on horseback 869 00:39:52,417 --> 00:39:54,417 started fanning out in the area 870 00:39:54,500 --> 00:39:57,042 to look for runaway prisoners to help them. 871 00:39:57,125 --> 00:39:59,542 - Of the 109 escapees, 872 00:39:59,625 --> 00:40:03,917 59 make it safely back to friendly territory, 873 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,208 48 are recaptured, 874 00:40:06,333 --> 00:40:09,833 and two drown attempting to ford the river. 875 00:40:09,917 --> 00:40:13,458 So which fate awaited Colonel Rose, 876 00:40:13,542 --> 00:40:15,708 the hero of the escape? 877 00:40:15,792 --> 00:40:17,333 ♪ 878 00:40:17,458 --> 00:40:18,792 - Rose is alone, 879 00:40:18,875 --> 00:40:20,833 and he decides he's going to run by night, 880 00:40:20,917 --> 00:40:22,208 hide by day. 881 00:40:22,292 --> 00:40:24,625 He follows the James River all the way to Williamsburg. 882 00:40:24,708 --> 00:40:25,958 It takes him over a week. 883 00:40:26,042 --> 00:40:27,958 During this time, he doesn't have anything to eat. 884 00:40:28,042 --> 00:40:29,333 He's starving. 885 00:40:29,417 --> 00:40:31,167 He runs out of the morsels that he was able 886 00:40:31,292 --> 00:40:32,792 to take with him two days into it. 887 00:40:32,875 --> 00:40:35,792 - As he closes in on Williamsburg, 888 00:40:35,875 --> 00:40:40,667 he comes to a wide-open field that offers little cover. 889 00:40:40,750 --> 00:40:42,708 - He knows there's going to be Confederates everywhere. 890 00:40:42,792 --> 00:40:44,875 So he gets to the edge of the woods, 891 00:40:44,958 --> 00:40:48,625 and he lies down, and waits, and just watches the field. 892 00:40:48,708 --> 00:40:50,875 He sees and hears the noise from the Union camp. 893 00:40:50,958 --> 00:40:53,583 He sees the smoke rising from the fires. 894 00:40:53,667 --> 00:40:55,333 He smells the food cooking. 895 00:40:55,417 --> 00:40:56,875 That's how close he is, 896 00:40:56,958 --> 00:40:58,875 but he can't cross the field until he's sure. 897 00:40:58,958 --> 00:41:01,500 After several hours, he realizes 898 00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:03,000 he doesn't see any guards. 899 00:41:03,125 --> 00:41:06,292 So Rose runs low and fast. 900 00:41:06,375 --> 00:41:09,333 And he starts racing across the field to Williamsburg. 901 00:41:09,417 --> 00:41:11,625 He gets about halfway across the field, 902 00:41:11,708 --> 00:41:15,208 and five Confederate guards stand up. 903 00:41:15,208 --> 00:41:16,500 They were in the high grass. 904 00:41:16,583 --> 00:41:19,000 He fights them. 905 00:41:19,125 --> 00:41:20,750 He knocks one of them down. 906 00:41:20,875 --> 00:41:23,042 But eventually, he is recaptured. 907 00:41:23,167 --> 00:41:25,083 - Rose's dreams of freedom 908 00:41:25,208 --> 00:41:28,583 have now become the ultimate nightmare. 909 00:41:28,667 --> 00:41:30,167 - He's taken back to Libby. 910 00:41:30,208 --> 00:41:32,500 And in a cruel irony, Turner orders him 911 00:41:32,542 --> 00:41:34,500 beaten again and put back in the dungeon. 912 00:41:34,583 --> 00:41:37,500 Only this time, he's in solitary confinement 913 00:41:37,583 --> 00:41:41,500 in a cell in the dungeon where he had spent 53 days, 914 00:41:41,542 --> 00:41:43,333 nights, digging and digging. 915 00:41:43,417 --> 00:41:45,667 Rose is denied food. 916 00:41:45,708 --> 00:41:48,458 He's denied water. He's denied medical attention. 917 00:41:48,542 --> 00:41:50,375 And he's beaten regularly. 918 00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:53,333 - At death's door, Rose is saved by the tales 919 00:41:53,375 --> 00:41:55,208 of his heroic deeds. 920 00:41:55,333 --> 00:41:57,042 - By now, Rose was something 921 00:41:57,125 --> 00:41:59,792 of a minor celebrity anyway for his heroism. 922 00:41:59,875 --> 00:42:02,667 Hamilton, by then, had told everyone his story. 923 00:42:02,750 --> 00:42:04,375 The Union wants him out. 924 00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:06,708 They organize prisoner exchanges 925 00:42:06,792 --> 00:42:10,458 at the very end of the war, and Rose is exchanged. 926 00:42:10,542 --> 00:42:13,500 Typical Rose, he's given time, downtime. 927 00:42:13,625 --> 00:42:15,750 He can leave uniform and recuperate. 928 00:42:15,833 --> 00:42:18,208 He stays in uniform, re-enlists, 929 00:42:18,333 --> 00:42:20,167 rises to the rank of general, 930 00:42:20,250 --> 00:42:22,708 and spends the rest of his career in the military. 931 00:42:22,792 --> 00:42:25,083 ♪ 932 00:42:25,208 --> 00:42:30,583 - On April 3, 1865, the Union captures the city of Richmond. 933 00:42:30,667 --> 00:42:35,000 And in an ironic twist, the former Confederate jailers 934 00:42:35,042 --> 00:42:38,583 at Libby Prison are locked up within its walls, 935 00:42:38,708 --> 00:42:42,958 prisoners of the United States of America. 936 00:42:43,042 --> 00:42:44,542 ♪ 937 00:42:44,625 --> 00:42:48,792 The story of Colonel Thomas Rose, AG Hamilton, 938 00:42:48,875 --> 00:42:52,792 and the hundred-odd men they helped to escape Libby Prison 939 00:42:52,875 --> 00:42:56,208 is a tale of grit, determination, 940 00:42:56,292 --> 00:43:01,542 and sacrifice under the most extreme conditions. 941 00:43:01,625 --> 00:43:05,208 Colonel Rose embodied all of these things. 942 00:43:05,292 --> 00:43:07,833 But most important of all, 943 00:43:07,917 --> 00:43:11,000 he always knew there was something inside him 944 00:43:11,083 --> 00:43:15,333 that no one could ever take away--hope.