About That John Brown-- Part 2: Becoming More and More Radical

John Brown was unknown nationally until almost five years before Harpers Ferry.  His father was an outspoken opponent of slavery and that carried over to his son, John. 

 A key point in John Brown's move toward radical abolition took place when, at age 12, he went to live in Michigan and stayed with a U.S. Marshal who owned a slave and beat him.  This deeply offended John Brown.

As a young man, Brown moved often and suffered many business failures.  Along the way, he sired twenty children with two different wives (who were sisters).

Throughout the 1830s, he became more and more outspoken against slavery.  Another major turning point was the death of abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois, at the hands of a mob.

On 1837, John Brown said, "I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery.:  And that he surely did.

--Old Sercesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Prisons Discussion

Some of the things we discussed March 27, 2021 on prisons.

**  Confederate dead at Illinois prisons:

Alton: 1,534

Rock Island:  Over 2,000 Confederates

Camp Douglas:  Official count was 4,454.  But other sources say as high as 6,000  (Chicago)

Camp Butler: 850  (Springfield)

About ten years ago, the Illinois Sons of Confederate Veterans erected a memorial to the dead at Camp Butler.

At Camp Butler about 700 died in the summer of 1862 in a small pox outbreak.

The first 8000 Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas were captured at Fort Donelson.

Two famous prisoners held at Camp Douglas were Sam Houston, Jr. and Henry M. Stanley, the African explorer.  (Dr. Livingston I presume.)

--Old Secesh

Answers to the MCCWRT Prison Quiz (Or Was That a Test?)-- Part 1

1.   There were 4 prisons in Illinois for Confederates.

2.  Their names were:  Alton Penitentiary, Camp Butler, Camp Douglas and Rock Island Prison.

3.  The Alton Military Prison was replaced by the Joliet Correctional Center. 

4.  Camp Butler was not named after Benjamin Butler, but William Butler who was Illinois' Secretary of the Treasury.

5 and 7.  William Butler was a member of the Lincoln's  Long Nine.  (I later found out that he wasn't a member of the Long Nine, but Lincoln stayed at William Butler's house.)

6.  The Joliet Prison later was featured in the movies "White Heat" with James Cagney and "The Blues Brothers" with John Belluchi.

8.  The "Long Nine" got their name because they were all tall and weighed around 200 pounds.  They were state representatives and senators and largely responsible for moving the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield.

Okay, questions 5,6,7 and 8 were a bit off topic.  But, of course our discussion groups have NEVER EVER gotten off topic.

--Old Secesh

McHenry Civil War Round Table Discussion Group Meeting Today: Here's Your Quiz

We'll be trying a hybrid live and Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. at Stucky's in Johnsburg, Illinois.

Today's topic:  Civil War Prisons North and South.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

1.  How many prisons were in Illinois?

2.  Where were these prisons?

3.  The Alton Military Prison was replaced by what Illinois prison?

4.  Who was Camp Butler named after?

5.  William Butler was a member of what famous Illinois Lincoln group? 

6.  The Joliet Prison was featured in two movies.  Name one of them.

--Old Secesh

Alton, Illinois, Confederate Prison-- Part 3

I did some research on the Confederate who died of the gunshot wound, R. E. Holly, but found no particulars. Had he been trying to escape or gotten too close to the "dead Line" if they had one? Had another prisoner shot him?

He had been captured September 27, 1864 at Pilot Knob, Missouri, and was a private in Company L of the First Monroe's Arkansas. A Pilot Knob Battle site said that there was a Monroe's 1st/6th Arkansas Cavalry at the battle.

Pilot Knob was also called the Battle of Fort Davidson and was the opening engagement of Price's Raid. Fought September 27, 1864 in Iron County, Missouri, Price's 12,000 Confederates lost 1500 compared to 184 Union losses.

I'd Still Like to Know the Story of How Private Holly Came to Be Killed by Gunshot Wound. --Blockade-R

Alton, Illinois, Confederate Prison-- Part 2

Continuing with the Alton Prison.

One resident of the Alton wrote during the smallpox epidemic that "A large trench was dug and bodies placed in separate wooden boxes, were hauled to the cemetery six at a time, and dumped into the trench. The wagon would then return and pick up more bodies." ww.4sullivans.com

There is a comprehensive list of Confederates who died at Alton Prison at
altonweb.com/history/civilwar/confed/h.html.

It also listed what they died of. I went through just the letter "H."

small pox-- 17
small pox, buried at small pox island (now underwater)-- 5
rubela-- 6
anemia- 2
chronic diarrhea-- 12
variola-- 7
?-- 14
consumption-- 2
typho pneumonia-- 1
erysihilas-- 3
dysentary-- 2
pneumonia-- 15
typhus fever-- 2
typhois malaria-- 3
dysenteria-- acuta-- 3
typho malaria-- 5
typhoid fever-- 7
inflamation of the brain-- 1
pithsis-- 1
gastritis-- 1
ersipelas-- 1
laryngitis-- 1 (I had no idea this could kill you)
enteritis-- 1
scurvy--1
gun shot wound-- 1 (I wonder about this one)
memingitis-- 1
erysipelas-- 1
debilitas-- 1

Some of these diseases might have been misspellings or alternate names. It depended upon who recorded it.

So, Getting Captured Was Not Such a Great Thing. And, They Talk About Confederate Prisons. --B-R

Alton, Illinois, Confederate Prison

Back on May 1st, I mentioned in the Illinois Division SCV meeting that the convention was dedicated to the Confederate Cemetery and Memorial in Alton.

I did some further research on the prison, and found that it was the Alton Federal Prison built in 1831. It has since been torn down with the exception of one small section which is plaqued.

In 1860, the prisoners were transferred to the newly constructed Joliet ("Blues Brothers" movie) in Joliet. During the Civil War, it was reopened for Confederate prisoners because of overcrowding in two nearby prisons in St. Louis. The first prisoners arrived in February, 1862. Records show that 11,745 were housed during the three years it was open with an average of 1261 at any time.

Conditions were described as horrible with overcrowding and disease rampant. An 1862smallpox epidemic killed as many as 2,210 prisoners.

WEST ALTON, MISSOURI

There is also a Confederate Memorial at the Lincoln-Shields Recreation Area in West Alton, Missouri, that was dedicated in April 2002, which contains the names of Confederates who died of smallpox.

The recreation area is named after the Lincoln duel with James Shields, who was offended by what Lincoln and his wife had written in their "Rebecca Letters." The duel was called off when Shields realized that Lincoln had a clear advantage.

More to Come. --Old B-Runner

Alton, Illinois Highlighting Lincoln and Civil War Heritage

The October 15th St. Louis Today.com had an article about Alton's new Lincoln and Civil War Legacy Trail which was unveiled today, the 150th anniversary of the final debate between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas which occurred in Alton on today's date.

This effort came together thanks to community volunteers, city officials and employees and a $65,000 grant from the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

The Trail was dedicated at Lincoln-Douglas square, the site of the debate during their 1858 US Senate campaign.


OTHER TRAIL STOPS

Other sites on the trail are the site of a Confederate prison, Confederate monument, and Confederate cemetery. Two others are at the former home of Lincoln friend Lyman Trumball and the old Franklin House Hotel that was Lincoln's campaign headquarters during the debate.

This weekend, there will be all sorts of festivities in Alton to mark the sesquicentennial.

Way to Go Alton. --B-Runner