Located in St. Mary's County, Maryland Point Lookout had a long history prior to being an infamous military Prison for captured Confederate soldiers. The Lookout, although it is inactive. These had to be restrained. Their duties involved scouting, wagon train escort and operating against Indians. Author -Unknown. In many of the sketches, breadin the form ofcrackers is used like a currency with peddlers charging by the cracker. [9][n 4] The final two regiments of U.S. * Race of the Ancient Sumerians: What Did They Look Like? All rights reserved. He returned to the 1st U.S.V.I. Only an estimated 50 escapes were successful. He was one of forty men placed in a tent designed for sixteen. For the first time in his life the colored man had money. About 11 o'clock very heavy artillery firing up the Potomac river but don't know the cause. On the right in this picture coffee made from bread crusts is being sold for one hardtack per cup. On it will usually state the battles he was in, clothing allowance, if wounded, if/where hospitalized, if/where captured, name of prison, date of release, oath of allegiance, etc. Lookout POW, "A Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War" pg. Loehr wrote that his captors were "negroes of the worst sort and very brutal; when the prisoners were driven out of their tents at night by diarrhea, the guards would make them carry them on their back; they were quick-stepped about the grounds, forced to kneel and pray for Abe Lincoln, etc.!" Official Correspondence. 8, showing the steam engine, has already been explained. Company D became part of Company E, and Company G part of Company F, participating in the campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama in March and April 1865. Many deaths were caused solely from scanty and unhealthy food and the poisonous water. During the two year span, approximately 52,000 Confederate prisoners passed through the gates. Retrieved fromhttp://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/20632, Point lookout state park history. Point Lookout was one of the most secure POW camps, being surrounded on three sides by water from the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, with Union cannons pointed toward the prisoners from Ft. Lincoln and guns of Union ships anchored in nearby waters. Culpepper, 51st Georgia, In a total of five weekly reports in early 1865, thirteen citizens were reported to have died. (Brown 1863 p. 183). Point Lookout eventually grew to be the Unions largest prison camp, hitting a peak population of 20,000 inmates in June of 1865 (Point Lookout State Park History). They were allowed to fish and, if one had enough crackers, they were allowed to purchase items from the outside world, such as tobacco. From Fort Leavenworth the unit marched to Fort Riley, and stationed companies there and at Salem, Fort Ellsworth, Fort Larned, Fort Zarah and Fort Scott, Kansas. A tailoring establishment sprang up where mending was done for the coin of the camp. 0000002279 00000 n 0000015718 00000 n Another prisoner with the instincts of a cartoonist and a sense of humor that enabled him to ridicule the privations of the prison camp tried to relieve the monotony of the life by painting a book of water colors of familiar prison scenes. The Rebel captives were given only tents for Prov. The simplest reason why African American soldiers represented a large portion of guards at the Point Lookout prison was the Confederacys practice of treating any captured African American soldiers as escaped slaves rather than prisoners of war. Still Captain Smith saw the military advantage in the location as an observation Post. Members of the regiment were present as guards at the signing of the Little Arkansas Treaty. No medical care, poor to little food, - all lead to high death rates. Within the stockade were the officers quarters, made of rough boards, and the tents to house the prisoners. . These stands disappeared in the tents at night, but reappeared the next morning. Yankee prisoners and Confederate guards in Southern prisons, were in the same boat. Poems and Songs: POW Re-Enactors: Prison History: Program Speakers: Ships with POW Cargo: Speeches For POWs: Suggested Reading: Selected Links: Why War: Search The Civil War intervened to disrupt All rights, including images, downloads and articles are reserved. Johnsons plan and in 1862, following General George B. McClellan Laurie Smith over 4 years ago I have conflicting family accounts regarding a local Confederate solder who was taken prisoner by Union soldiers. was recruited at Point Lookout prison camp between January 21 and April 22, 1864, as a three-year regiment. Living was not fastidious at the camp, but prices were reasonable. Lookout Prison Camp for Confederates" pg. It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles. It is not a large piece of real estate (at only 1,078 acres total). From Annapolis, take Route 2 South. The Confederacys denial of African Americans status as Union soldiers is apparent in an article in the Richmond Enquirer newspaper stating, The Yankees are not going to send their Negro troops in the field; they know as well as we do that no reliance can be placed upon them; but as depot-guards, prison-guards etc., they will relieve their white troopsShould they be sent to the field, and be put in battle, none will be taken prisoners: our troops understand what to do in such cases (Williams, 2012). Lookout, while the Confederate Navy under the command of John T. Wood, with 800 volunteers, would sail from Wilmington, NC and hook up with Earlys cavalry force at Pt. The man on the barrel of petty larceny. He became captain of the company in Minnesota on December 3, 1864. From prisoners' diaries and other reports, we have learned that over 14,000 died while incarcerated in this prisoner of war camp. 8, August 1961, 199. 1 the prisoners are shown in their ragged and much patched clothing, offering their trinkets to a union officer who had inquired, Well, Johnny Reb, whats the price of fans? An enterprising newsboy has invaded the camp and offers daily papers at 10 cents each. Another government cover up? The officers no doubt intended not to punish unduly, but to the man who had to walk around in a barrel or be denied the privilege of sitting down because he had been over hungry, the punishment probably seemed excessive. While evidence showed House was only a lookout, a judge handed him a sentence of natural life. Freed from the pain of starvation, deprivation and murder of the Pt. Marsh. in a sketch depicting a Confederate prisoner requesting a new pair of pants. and/or Civilwaralbum.com for the non-commercial use of the pictures and Yet each of us are cells of you in flesh, in blood, in bone. Their thin blankets were the only protection from the ground that they had and they were entirely destitute of proper nourishment. One sticking point in the bill, for instance, was assigning notifications to the Prisoner Review Board, while Bishop-Jenkins argued county . guarding the telegraph line and the Oregon Trail. [n 10] Their muster out in July 1865 was canceled and in October, they were ordered to build and garrison Fort Fletcher, Kansas, and man two outposts at Monument Station and Ponds Creek Station, also in Kansas, to protect the new Butterfield Overland Despatch stagecoach route. Charles Fenwick, St. Mary's County historian. Indeed, the Johnny Rebs probably had more fun at Point Lookout prison than at any other during the Civil War. Co. K, prisoner of Pt. Col. Carroll H. Potter had failed to complete West Point in 1857, was appointed an assistant adjutant general of volunteers with the rank of captain in October 1861. Each page will take approximately up to 1 minute to fully load. Point Lookout Cemetery is also one of the only US National Cemeteries to allow the flying of The Confederate Flag (next to The US Flag). Compared with some of the other great military prisons of the Civil War, Point Lookout prison must have been a paradise to the prisoners in the privileges it afforded them. Peddlers, or merchants, are depicted in twelve of the forty-two sketches, attributed with selling itemslike spoons, molasses, tobacco, and bread. Pogue "Yesterday in Old St. Mary's County". Four sketches depict this penchant forgambling and includes the use of playing cards, dice, and checkered boards for a variety of different games. You did not know that I exist. One prisoner explains to another that the live soldier has given the dead one his discharge. Another Confederate advises the live one to put down his empty gun and pick up the dead ones loaded one and make the corporal believe he shot himself. The prison camp opened in 1863 and initially housed Confederate prisoners of war captured at the Battle of Gettysburg. 0000003513 00000 n General Benjamin Butler's jurisdiction included Point Lookout, and he advised Stanton that more prisoners could be recruited for the Army than the Navy. pictures were taken on my last day there, September 9, 2000. Believe me, that was the last time I looked. He chose 2. This is a list of names that were converted from the text listings in Edwin Beitzell's book. Prisoners of Point Lookout. pen area is now under the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. It was ordered to the Department of the Missouri and sent by rail to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where it was assigned to duty in the District of Upper Arkansas along the Santa Fe Trail from the Little Arkansas River to Fort Dodge, Kansas, and along the Cimarron Crossing to Fort Lyon, Colorado. Copyright 2013 Stronghold Nation. The names appear as they are listed on the Pt. Robert took the oath and went home. was commanded by the only officer commissioned from the ranks of the "galvanized Yankees," John T. Shanks, originally from Texas and a captain of Tennessee cavalry captured with Morgan's raiders. Federal authorities refused to permit Marylanders to aid the inmates with the bare necessities of life, and thousands of prisoners died for lack of food, medical care, or proper sanitary conditions. It is not possible to present all the pictures with a single article, but those given reveal the spirit in which the Confederate prisoners made the best of things. At the end, make a left onto Route 5 South. There is a lighthouse at Point The 1st U.S.V.I. From prisoners' letter and diaries, we have learned that over 14,000 died while in this POW Camp. O'Neill returned to Andersonville and recruited 150 more prisoners for the 10th Tennessee in January 1865, and approximately 165 more in March. 0000004212 00000 n 1621 0 obj The regiment waited at Portsmouth, Virginia, in hopes that more troops could be raised, but calls for men from the west led to its transfer to the frontier at the end of April 1865. The man suspended by the thumbs has been caught stealing prisoners rations. He wrote that the "one who does so gains an eclat which the others envy; and animated frequently by vindictive feelings, they make pretexts to vent them." The hospital could not accommodate all the sick, so many were left to suffer in their inadequate tents. 2003 - 2023 The Times Examiner Upstate, SC, INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF THE PALMETTO STATE, Jeff Davis Forked-Tongue Drongo Ruse In South Carolina. ! However, this information can usually be discovered by obtaining your ancestor's "muster sheets" from the State Archives of the state he mustered into service. (Ed. Please bear in mind, this is a partial list of those who. (+2), The Biblical Mandate for (Growing) Wealth(+2), In Memory of Times Examiner Volunteer Melvin Scott(+2). Based on the text from the sketches, Union money was worth about 40 times the value of Confederate money at the time they were drawn. The four companies from Fort Delaware were recruited by regimental commander Lt. Col. Capt. Only tents were provided to prisoners for shelter, which were insufficient, and 3,384 prisoners died. Six or seven of the forty had died by morning, including the two on either side of Loehr. This from a government that had plenty of both. [2] At least 1,600 former Union prisoners of war enlisted in Confederate service in late 1864 and early 1865, most of them recent German or Irish immigrants who had been drafted into Union regiments. Lookout is located in Saint Marys County Maryland, at the point where the Many soldiers did not have blankets to keep warm. Point A sense of humor was not wanting in this prison and perhaps many a homesick and despondent man was cheered thereby. [36] A concerted recruiting effort began on October 12 and continued to the end of the war. Assigned to the District of Eastern Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina, it moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where on orders of General Grant it was relegated to provost duty there, Portsmouth, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The barber doing the haircutting asked the customer if he wants his hair cut snapper fashion. The gentleman being operated on doesnt care, so long as his ears are left on. The valiant soldier who is being shaved and incidentally carved, complains that the razor pulls. But the tonsorial expert assures the victim that if the razor breaks he has two more. 0000017761 00000 n The camp consisted of a huge stockade some 15 feet in height, one side of which was opened toward the bay. nearest town is Lexington Park, Maryland, which is also the home of the From Camp Hoffman, Maryland, commonly called Point Lookout Prison, Butler recruited two regiments in 1864. Gen. Benjamin Grierson. Point Lookout for incarceration. Commanded by Lt. Col. John Hampden Brooks (formerly captain, 7th South Carolina Infantry). Discovered by famed English Explorer and Soldier, Captain John Smith in 1608 - the land mass juts out into the crossings of The Potomac and Patuxent Rivers. The worst that a prisoner had to dread was that he would be moved to a prison farther north, the federal government having always to fear that a raiding party might liberate the captives at this point. [n 5]. Point Lookout Prison Camp, is officially known as Camp Hoffman. For a Cause which required much sadness in order to retain its reality of existence. Now it's a state park, with a campground, fishing, kayak rentals, great views, and deer flies. Dr. Jones wrote that 8,000 died while he was there. Any items sent to them were confiscated by the guards. On April 6, 1865, the remaining 40 former Confederates of the company transferred to the U.S. Located in St. Mary's County, Maryland - Point Lookout had a long history prior to being an infamous military Prison for captured Confederate soldiers. In a newspaper interview before he died, Pvt. 0000006052 00000 n As part of ourongoing effort to re-launchthe digital collection Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society, formerly hosted by the Library of Congress American Memory website, we havemade available 42 sketches from the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. In this unique volume of water color drawings of Point Lookout prison there are 24 pictures, each descriptive of some phase or incident of the prison life. On the other hand, the colored troops contributed much toward the comfort of those they were guarding. Detail from the large monument. Volunteers. The official number of Confederate dead at Point Lookout was 3,384, but other accounts suggest that many more perished. Barziza, D. e. U. 0000003826 00000 n William Tamblyn, and posted respectively at, Col. Andrew Patrick Caraher commanded the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Infantry. As part of our ongoing effort to re-launch the digital collection Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society, formerly hosted by the Library of Congress' American Memory website, we have made available 42 sketches from the Union prison camp at Point Lookout, Maryland.
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