After the Civil War, thousands of defeated Confederates refused to live under the Union flag. Instead, they packed up their families and headed for new lives in South America in a Confederate exodus from the United States.

One of them was Ezekiel B. Pyles, a young man from the mountains of north Georgia, who rode with General John Hunt Morgan’s raiders, fought across East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and was captured at the Battle of Kingsport before becoming part of Jefferson Davis’ guard as he fled Richmond at the end of the Civil War.  

His story didn’t end there, for he joined around 20,000 other Southerners who migrated to Brazil to start over.  

In this episode, Rod and Steve tell the story of Pyles’ incredible journey — from the hills of Appalachia to the colony of Americana. 
 
It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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