The Yankee Plague

Escaped Union Prisoners and the Collapse of the Confederacy

By: Lorien Foote

Narrated by: Traber Burns

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A rare and insightful account of the thousands of Union soldiers who escaped Confederate imprisonment and aided in the final dissolution of the Confederacy.

During the winter of 1864, more than 3,000 Federal prisoners of war escaped from Confederate prison camps into South Carolina and North Carolina, often with the aid of local slaves. Their flight created, in the words of contemporary observers, a "Yankee plague", heralding a grim end to the Confederate cause. In this fascinating look at Union soldiers' flights for freedom in the last months of the Civil War, Lorien Foote reveals new connections between the collapse of the Confederate prison system, the large-scale escape of Union soldiers, and the full unraveling of the Confederate States of America. By this point in the war, the Confederacy was reeling from prison overpopulation, a crumbling military, violence from internal enemies, and slavery's breakdown. The fugitive Federals moving across the countryside in mass numbers, Foote argues, accelerated the collapse as slaves and deserters decided the presence of these men presented an opportune moment for escalated resistance.

Blending rich analysis with an engaging narrative, Foote uses these ragged Union escapees as a lens with which to assess the dying Confederate States, providing a new window into the South's ultimate defeat.

©2016 Lorien Foote (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent

Well written and narrated study of a little reviewed subject regarding the American Civil War. I learned a lot from this presentation. I ihighly recommend it to others

A moving tribute

That title would make one think this book is critical of Union prisoners who in the waning days of the Civil War escaped and wandered the South in search of food and a way home. It is not derogatory of those men.

It IS a moving tribute to the pro-union southerners, slaves, and other sympathetic southerners who took great risks in assisting these abused, diseased and starved men. It’s a tribute to the men themselves, who showed extraordinary endurance.

The book also gives a look at the chaotic and incompetent final days of the Confederacy.

For fans of Civil War literature and history, this book is indispensable.

Well done Civil War History

Important and well researched book on Union soldiers who escaped from Confederate prisons in the Carolinas and Georgia and the collapse of the Confederacy in late 1864-1865. Excellent analysis and humanization of difficult times and events. Lots of research and analysis. Well done!

A great slice of little known ACW history.

The inmates are escaping the asylum. A great slice of little known or researched Civil War history.

Foote's 2016 "Yankee Plague" approaches the decline of the Confederate war effort from multiple angles (the collapse of slavery, state governments, and the Confederate government in toto) through the lense of escaped Federal prisoners and it's fascinating at every turn.

Most ACW prisoners of war discussions deal with the notorious prison in Andersonville, Georgia. Here, however, Foote shows how the decision to house Union soldiers in open field camps in North and South Carolina, combined with a VERY lax parole system, led to approximately 3000 (an entire brigade-sized element) escaping. That Union soldiers go out to collect firewood then simply keep walking is an indication of how curious the notion of parole in the Civil War was (i.e. a promise on one's honor not to return to the fight - a true relic of the 19th century).

Through journals and other contemporary sources, Foote follows several escaped prisoners as they navigate southern swamps, Home Guard patrols, sympathetic Southern citizens, and slaves in their attempts to make it back to Union lines. Some fled outright, while other groups of prisoners took a more leisurely approach, forming gangs of up to 50 men to plunder the countryside as they made their way north.

The fact that you could have so many escaped prisoners causing such widespread havoc is, per Foote, one reason why the social order necessary to maintain a wartime home front was rapidly breaking down. That, combined with Sherman marching through the South and the Confederate cause faltering in multiple other areas helps give a more complete view to the story of the fall of the Confederacy -- in part from "within."

A Very Well Told Story of Civil War Character

This story of stories of the battle of civil war prisoners and their escape and travels opened my eyes to the character of people in the USA and gives me faith that we will resist the lure of fighting the wars of the rich and powerful.

Rewarding listen

This book is enjoyable as it presents firsthand accounts of real history with all its nuances.

This was interesting.

This was interesting. It says lots of things that other books about the war don't rather than just repeating them.

Interesting story

An overlooked story of Union soldiers escaping Confederate imprisonment and Rebel deserters in the Carolinas in the waning months of the Civil War. The book also explores the collapse and ineptitude of Confederate government at that time. So much of Civil War literature is tainted by Lost Cause bias, so it’s nice to have a refreshing look at important factors largely ignored by historians in the past.

I hadn't heard the details of this side of the war

The author has uncovered many great stories of escaped prisoners, which are told in compelling and balanced detail. Captured and escaped Yankees did a great deal to cripple the Confederates. Highly recommend!

Sounds like a good book but...

The narrator was quite choppy. I thought it was getting better, but apparently it was.