Devil's Den

[larry_cockerham]

James Ratliff Whaley from Georgetown, Georgia was captured 3 July 1863 at the Devil's Den area just west of Little Round Top while serving with the 51st Georgia. He was imprisoned and paroled from Fort Delaware 17 June 1865. Can anyone expand this story? Was Ft. Delaware the likely destination for soldiers captured at Gettysburg? My notes claim there were 12,500 prisoners there by August 1863. Was it typical for prisoners to have remained there for two years???

[mobile_96]

Ft Delaware was a possible destination for Getts. Prisoners. However, the main one was Point Lookout, which was opened up due to the large numbers captured at Getts.
Many prisoner were paroled, some held, others let go with orders not to fight, until an exchange could be setup. Whaley, and many others captured in that time frame got caught up in the breakdown of the exchange cartel when Grant realized he was fighting prisoners he had paroled at Vicksburg. Thus, he was in until after the war was done.
Chuck in Il.

[larry_cockerham]

The Whaley descendants seem to think he stayed at Ft. Delaware and they claim he "walked" home to Ft. Gaines, Georgia. He lived until 1924 so apparently no permanent damage. My own gg grandpa Weaver was captured in Tennessee in Oct 1863, taken to Rock Island Arsenal and then transferred to Point Lookout, MD. As you know Point Lookout had considerably more space than the other sites. None of our boys who returned south gave them any compliments.