Can You Survive a Civil War Escape?: An Interactive History Adventure

By Jessica Gunderson

IMPRISONED! While the Civil War tears the United States in half, you are locked in a Confederate prison. Determined to help your country become whole again, you plan a bold escape. Will you crawl through a rat-infested tunnel? Or will you fake your demise to get tossed out with the dead? Every decision can be the difference between life and death. Which path will YOU CHOOSE to make it out alive? With stories based on historical accounts and war-time scenarios, nonfiction back matter, and multiple outcomes, this thrilling interactive adventure will entertain and inform young readers with every twist and turn!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781669061342

Jessica Gunderson

Jessica Gunderson grew up in the small town of Washburn, North Dakota. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has written more than one hundred books for young readers. Her book President Lincoln’s Killer and the America He Left Behind won a 2018 Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Silver Award. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Book preview

You Choose Great Escapes: Can You Survive A Civil War Escape? An Interactive History Adventure. By Jessica Gunderson.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About Your Adventure

Chapter 1: Civil War Prisons

Chapter 2: Locked in Libby Prison

Chapter 3: Imprisoned in Castle Thunder

Chapter 4: Andersonville Horror

Chapter 5: True Civil War Escapes

Civil War Prison Camps Map

Key Events of the Civil War

Other Paths to Explore

Glossary

Bibliography

Read More

Internet Sites

About the Author

Explore More

Copyright

Back Cover

Cover

Title Page

Table of Contents

Start of Content

Main Body

cover

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back cover

For the best You Choose experience,

view in portrait (vertical) orientation.

About Your Adventure

YOU have been captured! The Civil War (1861–1865) has torn the United States in half, and you are locked in a Confederate prison. The good news is that you’re alive. The bad news is that life as a prisoner of war is harsh. Not everyone will make it out alive. Escape will be difficult, but you have to try. YOU CHOOSE how to make your escape. Will you succeed or fail?

Chapter One sets the scene. Then you choose which path to read. Follow the links at the bottom of each page as you read the stories. The decisions you make will change your outcome. After you finish one path, go back and read the others for new perspectives and more adventures. Use your device's back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice.

Chapter 1

Civil War Prisons

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the United States, and you hold your breath. You know southern states fear he will abolish slavery, which could lead to war.

A large crowd watches President Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration at the U.S. Capitol.

Abraham Lincoln became the president of the United States on March 4, 1861.

Sure enough, South Carolina secedes from the Union in December 1860. Before long, more southern states follow. In all, eleven states—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee—form the Confederate States of America.

Then, on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fire upon Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Civil War begins.

The war lasts longer than everyone thinks it will. In the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, Union forces expect to easily overtake the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. They hope to put a quick end to the war. Instead, the Union is driven back. The Union sees nearly 3,000 dead, and the Confederates lose nearly 2,000. The war is bloodier than anyone imagined and is far from over.

Union and Confederate soldiers clash on a battlefield.

Union and Confederate armies fighting during the First Battle of Bull Run.

Over the next year, more battles ensue. In September 1862, forces collide along Antietam Creek in Maryland. More than 22,000 on both sides are dead, wounded, or captured. But the battle is a Union victory.

The victory at Antietam leads President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. Lincoln declares that all enslaved people