The Yankee plague : escaped Union prisoners and the collapse of the Confederacy / Lorien Foote.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-219) and index.

Introduction: the plague -- Escape -- The world in black and white: the collapse of slavery -- They cover the land like the locusts of Egypt: the collapse of the state -- Guardian angels: the collapse of the home front -- God's country: the collapse of borders -- A futile attempt at imprisonment: the collapse of military defense -- Epilogue: terrible times in the past.

"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 soliders' flight 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"-- Provided by publisher.