An+Introduction+to+the+Prison+Barracks

Original Author: Joe Brorby, ENG348 FL09 Revision: Christina Diaz, ENG299
 * An Introduction to the Rock Island Prison Barracks**

“On July 11, 1862, an Act of Congress established the Rock Island Arsenal and appropriated $100,000 for it’s construction”(Ackerman, 1973). Rock Island is literally an island of rock, and it is three miles by one half mile in size. Congress chose this location for the prison in 1862 because it was a secluded area, and they felt it was a good idea to keep the prisoners far from the war. (Lenhard, 1981) September 1st, 1863marked the first day of construction on the Arsenal, on orders from Major C. P. Kingsbury--the first commanding officer of the Rock Island Arsenal. The building was “designed as a storehouse, [and is] presently known as the Clocktower Building, housing the R.I. district corps of Engineers.” (Ackerman, 1973) In 1863, confederates were captured in the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and on December 3rd, 1863, the first prisoners arrived at the Rock Island Arsenal prison. (R.I. P.O.W. 2009) The Rock Island prison was one of twenty one camps operated by the Union, and continued to bring in and hold thousands of prisoners until it officially closed in July of 1865. (Lenhard, 1981) Through research, records on how the camp came to be, the layout of the camp, the diseases and conditions surrounding the camp, and the major myths associated with it were able to provide an abundant amount of information.

During the Civil War, the “Dix-Hill Cartel for the mutual exchange of prisoners had been signed in July [of] 1862” (1). This mutual agreement was intended for the exchange of prisoners between the Union and Confederate sides. However, it began to fall apart due to the fact that neither side was always willing to comply. For example, if one side had the higher number of prisoners, they tended to want to hold on to that power, rather than relinquishing the upper hand. On the other hand, whichever side was on the losing end tended to push for strict compliance regarding the agreement…but only when they were on the losing end. As time went on, the North stopped releasing their captured prisoners, resulting in the need for more prison camps on both sides. Due to the fact that the Rock Island Arsenal was under control of the government and also isolated, it was the perfect spot for one of these camps. Thus, this was how the Rock Island Prison Barracks came to be. As for the layout of the camp, the Rock Island Arsenal was designed to accommodate 13,000 people.The actual prison was 1,250 feet by 878 feet (Wright, 1876)(about twelve acres) and was designed to hold 10,080 prisoners. (Ackerman, 1973) Ditches were dug on each side of the camp to serve as the “dead-line” for which prisoners could be shot if approaching and to also prevent prisoners from tunneling their way out of the camp. To help ensure order and safety, the entire camp was also surrounded by a 12-foot high fence with a “sentry walk built four feet from the top on the outside of the fence [with] sentry boxes placed every 100 feet” (England, 1985).The only openings in this stockade fence were two double gates located at the middle of the east stockade wall, and the middle of the west stockade wall. (Ackerman, 1973) Inside the stockade fence were 84 prison barracks. Each barrack was approximately 100 feet by 22 feet in size and designed to fit 120 men. Each barrack was also equipped with 60 bunks (two men per bunk) and a cook room, furnished with a stove and a boiler. (Census) However(although the barracks had roofs, stoves and boilers) they were built with Green wood, which becamewarped by the weather, allowing snow and rain to get into the barracks. (Lenhard, 1981) The 84 barracks were divided into 2 sections of 42 by a main street, about 130 feet wide, that ran north to south through the stockade, ending at the fence on each side. Then, each section of 42 barracks was divided into 6 rows by smaller, 100 feet wide streets. So there were 6 rows of 7 barracks on each side of the main street. The barracks on the north side of the street had odd numbers and the barracks on the south side had even numbers. They were numbered, from 1 to 84, east to west. Outside of the stockade, to the west, there was a Commandants office, which was located about where the present day ‘U.S. armament Command Commanding General’s quarters’ is at. Then, about where the golf course club house is located, there was a Union officer’s quarters. (Ackerman, 1973) Outside the prison stockade were 16 guards barracks located to the north and south. Finally, there were three hospitalserected in 1864 that were also located outside of the stockade. There was a hospital for non-contagious prisoners, one for non-contagious Union troops, and one for contagious Union troops and prisoners. The hospital for non-contagious prisoners was the largest of the three with 560 beds in 14 wards. The large hospital was also guarded well with guard houses at each entrance of the fence surrounding the 14 wards. (Ackerman, 1973)

However, the overcrowding of other nearby camps and a streak of Union victories caused the Rock Island Prison Barracks to take on prisoners before construction was even completed. Taking on prisoners before the camp was ready seemed to cause an endless amount of problems and disorganization for the camp. One source explains that one of the reasons prisoners had to endure so much cruelty during the Civil War is because, “inexperienced and unprepared Americans, north and south, lacked logical or consistent policy’s for handling prisoners. Additionally, there was not a single military prison controlled by either side...capable of holding more than a handfull of men.” (Christiansen, 1991) Another source claims that, “as the [war] was only expected to last a few months, the government failed to make provisions for the prisoners,” since many sources claimed starvation to be the cause of many deaths. (Lenhard, 1981) Some prisoners even claimed that guards used the lack of supplies and meager food portions as a form of torture, used for persuading Confederate soldiers to enlist with the Union forces. Many Confederate soldiers (as many as 6,000-10,000 to be more precise) succumbed to this type of ‘persuasion’, because if they were to join the Union army, they were released from prison and were able to stay with the other soldiers and receive the same amount of food rations as the soldiers (16). Whatever the reason, the fact is a lot of the soldiers who were held in prisoner camps during the Civil War received inhumane treatment. Not to mention, that same December the first Confederate prisoners arrived was also one of “the worst winters on record” (2). The camp was not yet fully stocked and quickly depleted their supply of clothing and blankets. Besides the lack of proper supplies, the prisoners also suffered from disease. Common diseases at the R.I. prison included smallpox, diarrhea, dysentery, scurvy, gangrene, and typhoid. According to a Dispatch article, “prisoners on the first train [to the Arsenal prison] were infected with smallpox, pneumonia, and dysentery.” (Norton, 1998) Once again, a lack of supplies prevented the camp from controlling the spread of the disease. There were not enough vaccines and medicines to fight it and the hospital hadn’t even been built yet at that time. Due to the fact that there was no hospital, the sick remained with the healthy, spreading the plague further and claiming many lives over the next few months.In the first load of prisoners to arrive at the camp 94 cases of smallpox were discovered, and by March of 1864, 485 cases were reported makingsmallpox the biggest leading health problem. (Lenhard, 1981) Upon inspection, and a lot of pressure from the surgeon general’s office, measures were finally taken to isolate the sick and continue construction on the hospital. Eventually dead bodies were dug up and moved, sewage systems were constructed, and hospitals were built, leading to the improvement of health conditions. While means were being taken to control the diseases within the camp, other problems were also present. An overall lack of cleanliness for both the prisoners and the guards became a cause for concern. The areas where prisoners were kept had drainage problems, being that they were positioned on the lower sections of the camp. The surgeon general worried that these conditions would hinder the sick even more and raised concern about either moving the prisoners or fixing the problem, especially since vaccines were still not being used adequately. It was also mentioned that the prisoners’ bunks were kept too close together, causing further health concerns, not to mention improper ventilation. (England, 1985) Here is brief statistical timeline concerning the prisoners during the duration of the Rock Island civil war prison: in the first six months(December 1863 to May of ’64)-the prisoner capacity reached a maximum of 7,912 prisoners. There were 1,186 prisoner deaths and 40 guard deaths. The next six months (June to November) were the months of highest prisoner occupation, having over 8,000 prisoners for five out of the six months, but with a major decrease in deaths with only 450 prisoner deaths and 43 guard deaths. The last eight months (December ’64 to July ’85) the number of prisoners decreased every month from over 6,500 to 2 as the prison closed, and the number of prisoner deaths were 278 and the number of guard deaths were 42. As a whole, the total number of prisoner deaths at the Rock Island prison was 1,964, the total number of guard deaths was 125.Although the prison was built to hold 1,080 prisoners, the maximum number of prisoners at any one time was 8,594. (R.I. computer) A more detailed statistical timeline is in the bottom of this paper. The guards in Rock Island consisted of men from Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylvania and a few federal regiments. There was a group of guards of men ranging from ages 50 to 70 called the 37th Iowa Invalid Corps, and there was a group of guards made up of freed black men known as the 108th U.S. Regiment of Coloured Infantry. The prisoner soldiers consisted of businessmen, farmers, young boys, and family members. (Lenhard, 1981) Statistics continued; “In 1864, the secretary of War, as means of retaliation for the treatment Union prisoners were receiving at Andersonville, concluded that able-bodied captives would not receive a diet better than the one Confederate soldiers were receiving from their own army in the field.” (Christiansen, 1991) Many southerners claimed the prisoners in Rock Island were being starved to death, on the other hand many northerners felt they were given an adequate amount of food. Here is what the prisoners’ diets were after the reduction by the Secretary of War in 1864; per man: 14 oz. of hard bread or 16 oz. o soft or corn bread, and 16 oz of pork or 14 oz. of beef. Per 100 men; 6 qt. of beans, 8 lbs of rice, 12 lbs of sugar, 5 lbs of coffee, 1 lb of tea, 4 lbs of soup, 2 qt. of salt 3 qt. of vinegar, 1 qt of molasses, and 15 lbs of potatoes, all provided daily. (Christiansen, 1991) However, after some time, conditions did begin to improve and not all experiences within the prison were considered horrible. In fact, one prisoner who had suffered from an “acute skin disease” noted in his journal- “found hospital pleasant place & began to improve” (9). There were also some activities provided to help relieve boredom for the prisoners. Sympathetic citizens donated books for a prison library and traveling ministers provided church services. Many prisoners also partook in making buttons and ornaments from shells and other materials they were able to muster up (10). Interestingly (and surprisingly) enough, prisoners were even allowed to hold judicial proceedings for crimes committed amongst them. There was even work for those who wanted it, although, pay was minimal at best, averaging about ten cents per day. However, it seemed the most important thing to do was to learn more about the ongoing war through reading smuggled newspapers and interpreting any information passed down the grapevine. (England, 1985)

However, the entertainment provided to them did little to stop the major myths surrounding the prison camp Often, the Rock Island Prison Barracks were referred to as the “Andersonville of the North”, which was in reference to the terrible conditions Union prisoners of war faced in this Southern prison. Reasons for this myth were accredited to past prisoner accounts and two competing newspapers and towns. For starters, many Confederate prisoners claimed that when the “100 Day Men” (who were a group of volunteers enlisted for 100 days) were employed at the RI Prison Camp, there were numerous gunshots aimed at the prisoners on a regular basis, especially a night, for no reason at all. Yet another myth was started by __Davenport Democrat__ Newspaper, which published an article claiming that the garbage and sewage from the prisoners was being allowed to drain directly into the Sylvan Slough, which “swept directly into the city of Rock Island”. (England, 1985) Also, confederate prisoners from the Arsenal claimed that the Union guards would throw prisoners in an underground dungeon and keep them there. (Lenhard, 1981) On July 24, 1867, the Rock Island Argus newspaper wrote, “greater numbers died here [Rock Island] than in Andersonville, or any other Southern prison.” (R.I. Argus) According to another source, the best seller //Gone with the Wind// claimed that, “the North resorted to harsher treatment of Confederate prisoners and at no place were conditions worse than at Rock Island.” (Christiansen, 1991) In response to the underground dungeon claim, one source states that, “it would be impossible to have an underground dungeon especially when water had to be pumped from the river as wells could not be dug through the solid rock.” (Christiansen, 1991) Also, According to Lenhard, “In Andersonville, one-third of prisoners died within eleven months...in June 1864, fifteen percent of new prisoners died.” (Lenhard, 1981) However, the most men that ever died in Rock Island in one month was 350 out of 7,596--a little under five percent. Also, another source states that about seventeen percent of the Arsenal’s prisoners died while over twenty seven of Andersonville’s prisoners died. (census) All myths and stories aside, the Rock Island Prison Barracks were actually one of the best camps active, despite the camp’s shortcomings. The death rate was well below that of other camps (especially Southern camps) and many of the deaths that did occur were a result of the Smallpox plague that came to the camp with the prisoners. Otis England writes that “while malnutrition was no doubt a problem, only 12 deaths were attributed to scurvy, and the drop in the death rate during this period of privation belies contentions of widespread starvation” (23). He also mentions that “if any blame for [prisoners’] deaths must be placed, it must rest on the shoulders of those who ordered prisoners into a camp that was not prepared to accept them and then dragged their feet in taking corrective measures” (10). Regardless of whatever shortcomings the Prison Barracks may have had, the development of the prison, the prison itself, and the diseases, conditions, and myths associated with the prison are still a piece of our very own history.

TOTAL PRISONERS HELD: 12,192 TRANSFERRED: 730 EXCHANGED: 3,876 DIED: 1,964 ESCAPED: 41 RELEASED: 5,581
 * //ROCK ISLAND PRISON BARRACKS//**
 * //CAMP STATISTICS//**
 * **Month/Year** || **Number of Prisoners** || **Number Guards** || **Prisoner Deaths** || **Guard Deaths** ||
 * Nov/1863 || 0 || 823 || 0 || 0 ||
 * Dec/1863 || 5592 || 1342 || 98 || 3 ||
 * Jan/1864 || 7912 || 1359 || 231 || 4 ||
 * Feb/1864 || 7596 || 1427 || 350 || 10 ||
 * Mar/1864 || 7225 || 1761 || 288 || 14 ||
 * Apr/1864 || 6933 || 1775 || 141 || 3 ||
 * May/1864 || 7177 || 1760 || 78 || 6 ||
 * Jun/1864 || 8594 || 1964 || 100 || 4 ||
 * Jul/1864 || 8572 || 1489 || 73 || 6 ||
 * Aug/1864 || 8385 || 1987 || 114 || 6 ||
 * Sep/1864 || 8260 || 2388 || 71 || 1 ||
 * Oct/1864 || 8167 || 1841 || 51 || 13 ||
 * Nov/1864 || 6381 || 1662 || 41 || 13 ||
 * Dec/1864 || 6724 || 1594 || 100 || 9 ||
 * Jan/1865 || 6625 || 1534 || 109 || 10 ||
 * Feb/1865 || 6271 || 1539 || 57 || 5 ||
 * Mar/1865 || 5079 || 1522 || 33 || 8 ||
 * Apr/1865 || 2762 || 1513 || 20 || 7 ||
 * May/1865 || 2654 || 871 || 7 || 1 ||
 * Jun/1865 || 1102 || 801 || 2 || 2 ||
 * Jul/1865 || 2 || 61 || 0 || 0 ||
 * Aug/1865 || 0 || 54 || 0 || 0 ||

(Arsenal Museum computer)


 * Works Cited**

Ackerman, John W. __This Was Rock Island Prison__, November 13, 1971. Found in Contemporary News Accounts section in General History file cabinet at Rock Island Arsenal Museum

CensusDiggins.com. __Rock Island Civil War Prison__. 2002-2008. []

Christiansen, Machael L. __Rock Island Prison Barracks: “Andersonville of the North” Dispelling the Myth__. May 7, 1991. Found in General History file cabinet at Rock Island Arsenal Museum.

England, April 5, 1985. __Rock Island Argus__ (Rock Island, Il.), July 1863. Found in General History file cabinet at Rock Island Arsenal Museum

England, Otis Bryan. __A Short History of the Rock Island Barracks (Revised Edition).__ Historical Office: US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command. Rock Island, IL 1985. Lenhard, Linda, A. __Rock Island Prison Barracks__, May 12, 1981. Found in General History file cabinet at Rock Island Arsenal Museum

Norton, Mary. “Civil War Prison Camp on Arsenal” (Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, L.L.C.) []

Rock Island Arsenal Museum. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from Rock Island Arsenal Museum computer (“Jonsey’s” computer in basement of museum).

“Rock Island Prisoner of War Camp” (The American Civil War) November 23, 2009. []

Wright, Charles. __The Treatment of Prisoners__, “Rock Island Prison 1864-1865.” Vol. I. Richmond, Va., March, 1876. p 281-292. []