Second only to Andersonville in deaths and infamy…Libby Prison was a Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was a three-story brick warehouse that had been used as a tobacco factory before the war. The prison was located on Cary Street, near the James River.
Libby Prison was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for its overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prisoners suffered high mortality from disease and malnutrition. By 1863, thousands of prisoners were crowded into large open rooms on two floors, with open, barred windows leaving them exposed to weather and temperature extremes.
Libby Prison was closed in April 1865, after the surrender of the Confederate Army.
Intro: 0:00
Background: 0:33
Usage during Civil War: 1:59
Escapes: 3:48
Disassembled: 4:06
Libby Prison in modern media: 5:08
Source documentation: 6:05
After the war: 8:46
