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

A Shiloh Confederate You Might Now Know

With the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh tomorrow, here is an interesting story about a man who led quite an interesting Civil War career, but obtained his greatest notoriety for something that happened six years after the war.

From the April 3rd Examiner "A Shiloh Confederate...you may not know" by Gregg Clemmer.

Shiloh is known for many things:

** The loss of Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston.
** Will S, Hays, a correspondent with the Louisville Democrat was inspired to compose "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" which turned Johnny Clem into a household name.

Nor so well-known at the time was a Confederate private in the "Dixie Grays," Company E., 4th Arkansas Regiment. He was captured April 7th, and rather than go to a Yankee prison, became a "Galvanized Yankee" joining the Union Army. After just 18 days, he was discharged with a severe case of dysentary.

He then served on merchant ships before enlisting in the Union Navy where he was assigned to the USS Minnesota as a record keeper.

He definitely was one of the few, if any, who could claim to have served in the the Confederate Army, the Union Army and the Union Navy.

This private's name was Henry Morton Stanley who became much more famous six years later in Africa where he uttered the words "Dr. Livingston, I presume."

How's That for a Piece of History? --Old Secesh