Database and Biographies

The centerpiece of Fugitive Federals is the individual stories of thousands of Union soldiers who survived imprisonment, escape, and harrowing journeys, and the thousands of southerners whose help saved their lives. 

In the 19th century, clerks at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., compiled lists of Union prisoners who escaped the Confederacy that provided information on the prisoner’s rank, regiment, capture location, escape location, and arrival location.  That information was compiled into a database that now has more than 3000 names.  You can download it here.

Students and researchers across the country are contributing to an on-going process of uncovering the individual stories of fugitive Federals.  At Texas A&M University and Middle Tennessee State University, graduate and undergraduate students in historical research methods classes conduct research and write biographies that you can find in the downloadable database.  Fugitive Federals is a collaborative project that memorializes ordinary Civil War Americans whose stories would otherwise be lost.  You are invited to explore the many stories found in the downloadable database.  If you wish to contribute a biography to the site, please contact Lorien Foote (lfoote@tamu.edu).