7. The Libby Prison Escape (1864, USA, Civil War)
In February 1864, over 100 Union officers escaped from Richmond’s Libby Prison during the American Civil War. Led by Colonel Thomas E. Rose, they tunneled from the basement, known as “Rat Hell,” to a vacant lot outside the prison. The escapees emerged through a tobacco shed and walked out the front gate, exploiting the guards’ disbelief in the prison’s vulnerability. While many were recaptured, the event embarrassed Confederate forces and was widely celebrated in the North (nps.gov).
