Galvanized Yankees at Rock Island Prison-- Part 1

From the April 6, 2021, WVIK MPR Quad Cities  "Galvanized Yankees" by Roald Tweet.

We were just talking about the Rock Island Confederate prison camp at Rock Island at the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group at the end of March.

In August 1863, Union troops arrived at Rock Island to build a prison camp for Confederates.  Beginning with 468 Confederates captured at the Battle of Lookout Mountain, who arrived in December 1863 the camp eventually housed  more than 12,000.  Author of "Gone With the Wind," Margaret Mitchell,  called it the "Andersonville of the North."

It was set up like other Union prisons, only this one also had  a Union Recruiting Office that was set up in the prison in 1864.  A Union naval officer  arrived in January and within a week had 660 former Confederates enlisted in the Navy.

One unrepentant Confederate wrote in his diary that they were "664 traitors to our country."  But, serving on a Union ship was seen by some Confederates as being better than living under the horrible prison conditions.  Plus, the Union Navy always faced manpower shortages.

In September 1864, the recruiting officers began getting prisoners enlisted to fight out West.  A large part of the prison was set up for these brand new Yankees.  Prisoners remaining loyal to the Confederacy derisively dubbed these men "Galvanized Yankees."

--Old Secesh