John H. Morgan — the Confederate Whom Prison Could Not Hold 

In the summer of 1863 General John H. Morgan made his famous cavalry raid across the Ohio River, ending after a hot pursuit in the capture of himself and command on July 26th. General Morgan with about thirty of his officers was confined in the State penitentiary at Columbus. With knives abstracted from the dining-room a hole was cut through the cement floor — about two solid feet of masonry. From the vaulted air-chamber beneath, a hole was continued through the earth underneath the prison until the outer wall was reached. This wall proved too thick to pierce, and a rope of bedding was prepared. On the night of November 27, 1863, the attempt to escape was made. General Morgan's cell was on an upper tier, but that night he exchanged cells with his brother so as to be among the fugitives. The attempt was successful, and General Morgan and six of his companions escaped, leaving a polite note to explain the details of their work. Only two of the prisoners were recaptured.