5062

Civil War Union Officers Confederate Prison Camp Autographs, 1863 [179368]

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
Civil War Union Officers Confederate Prison Camp Autographs, 1863 [179368]
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Exceptional historical record of Prisoners of war at Columbia, South Carolina compiled by A.A. Taylor, Captain, 122nd Reg, Ohio Volunteers of Cambridge Ohio. The book contains more than 470 autographs of Union officers with identifying regiments and other anecdotal material. The frontispiece is nothing short of fantastic- a professionally and very artistic hand drawn (black pen & ink) of Lady Liberty with an "Autographs" banner above a detailed wreath containing a Monitor, drum, bugle and cannon. Pages generally contain about four names each, sometimes five, rarely more. The men are all Union officers, though on close inspection I did not spot any generals. The dates range from July of 1863 to late 1864 and probably include many men transferred to this South Carolina prisoner camp from other sites. Each has written the record in his own hand, inclusive of their site of capture and their home town. This is very apparent, and may be the underlying purpose of the book - to document the Union officers in case something happens to them. Many were captured at Gettysburg in the first three days of July 1863, in which approximately 50,000 soldiers were killed. The contents of he book have not been published to our knowledge, and should be. Example: "David Wiston, Capt. 15th Mass Vols, Boston, Gettysburg, July 1, 1863"_x000D_
the prison camp at Columbia was not established until 1864. It was a five acre facility designed to hold 1400 Union officers. It had no fence, rather a flat board boundary called the "dead line", that if you stepped foot over the plank, you'd be shot. The prisoners were tr4ansferred in February, 1865 as Union forces approached. The camp was also known as "Camp Sorghum" because of what the prisoners were fed. 4.5 x 7"_x000D_
A total of 59 pages, double sided were used, containing at least 470 autographs with anecdotal information. One of the most famous occupants was author SMH Byers, whose name we did not find here, though it could be among a few difficult to read._x000D_
This is an incredibly important historical record.
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