In the past, I’ve referenced the small book Pen in Hand: David Parker Civil War Letters, edited by Riley Henry. Parker served in the 54th North Carolina Troops. (You can check out the other post here.) Recently, while re-reading this set of letters, I came across another interesting reference. Sometime around September 21, 1862, Company B, 54th North Carolina, was sent to Camp Lee to do garrison duty. On September 25, Parker writes that they are assigned to “gard prisoners.”[1]
 |
| Harper's Weekly, August 9, 1862. |
First, a little about Camp Lee: organized as a fairgrounds
prior to the war, Camp Lee was named in honor of Richard “Light Horse” Harry
Lee in 1860. Camp Lee was a sixty-three-acre site dedicated to training Confederate
soldiers. Jackson had marched the Virginia Military Institute cadets there in
April 1861; William Gilham, who wrote an infantry manual, was the first camp
commander; the grounds contained a hospital, quartermaster and commissary shops
and rooms for surgeons and drill masters. It was also the site of executions
for spies and deserters. Tens of thousands of volunteers and conscripts passed
through the area during the four years of the war.[2]
It appears that Parker’s company was stationed at Camp Lee until
the end of November 1862. In a letter written on October 1, Parker writes that
he is not guarding Federal prisoners, but Confederates. “We are here garding
paroled prisoners that has been taken by the north and paroled and sent here to
be exchanged and thare has several run away and went home so we have the rest
to guard.”[3]
An article in August in the Richmond Whig, making
mention of a camp visit, tells readers that “A number of tents occupied by
artillery companies, conscripts, and exchanged prisoners are scattered over the
grounds.” The “prisoners” made mention of by Parker were probably part of a group
of 20 men that arrived at Aiken’s Landing, on the James River, on September 28.[4]
But why guard Confederate soldiers? Why even put them in a
camp? Why not send them to their respective regiments? All great questions. Usually,
the parolees went into a camp until the “paperwork” was finished. Each former
prisoner of war had to be swapped for a Federal prisoner of the same rank. Or,
a certain number of privates could be swapped for an officer. While the former prisoners
might be paroled, they were not officially declared exchanged until the
paperwork was finished. They were not allowed to return to their regiments to take
up their arms until the process was complete. The Confederate government needed
a place to keep these soldiers, and Camp Lee was the spot in the east, not far
from Aiken’s Landing on the James River. Pvt. Heglar P. Summit, Company C, 28th
North Carolina Troops, was captured and confined in a Federal prison on
September 14, 1862. He was paroled and transferred to Aiken’s Landing on
September 27, 1862, but was not declared exchanged until November 10, 1862.[5]
If the soldier was well, then he could be returned to his regiment once the
paperwork was finished. If he was sick, then he could be sent home on furlough.
Why were Confederate soldiers, in the case of David Parker, his entire company,
sent to guard fellow Confederate soldiers? Parker answers this question for us:
several had already “run away” and headed for home. Once at home, they were
hard to get back in the army.
While there are a lot of books about Richmond (check out
this post), there seems to be only scattered information about Camp Lee.
Hopefully, this post will add a little information to the mix.
No comments:
Post a Comment