Fort Warren escapees
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Parvin, William H. Private. Washington Grays. Confined at Governors Island. Escaped from Fort Warren aboard the transport "State of Maine" 2 November 1861
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Willis, William B. Private. Washington Grays. Confined at Governors Island. Escaped from Fort Warren aboard the transport "State of Maine" 2 November 1861
A daring escape
When the transport "State of Maine" arrived at Fort Warren from Governors Island on 1 November 1861, William Parvin and William Willis hid themselves in a coal bunker instead of exiting the ship with the rest of the Hatteras prisoners. They had arranged for others to answer roll call for them. Their absence wasn't discovered until the following day. The "State of Maine" had already left on her return trip to Governors Island by the time their absences were discovered. They remained aboard two more days before escaping to New York City. Parvin wrote an unpublished manuscript of their daring escape. This manuscript is in the East Carolina University Archives Special Collections.
