Hart's Island Prisoner of War Camp

This is interesting to know. I recently learned that my paternal grandfather's brother, Adam C. Troutman, Co. C, 48th NC Infantry, was also captured on the same day, April 2, 1865, as your paternal 2x great-grandfather, processed on April 7 at City Point, and sent to Hart's Island. He was released on June 19. I was looking for information on conditions at Hart's Island for my great-grand uncle when I found this story. Looks like it was pretty bad.

Union Army report that may mention the action in which your ancestor was captured.


HDQRS. 148TH REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS,
In the Field, Va., near Appomattox Court-House, April 14, 1865.
CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report as follows, in compliance with instructions received from headquarters Fourth Brigade, First Division, Twenty-fourth Army Corps, April 12, 1865, viz:

This regiment broke camp at Deep Bottom, Va., on the 27th of March, 1865; formed with the brigade at 10 a. m. At 9 a. m. took up the line of march, forming on the left of the Fourth Brigade. Crossed the James River at Deep Bottom at 11 p. m., and halted at Jones' Landing until 3 a. m. of the 28th, when we again resumed the march, crossing the Appomattox River at daybreak. Continued the march until 8 p. m., passing Petersburg to the left; halted for the night in rear of the Ninth Corps line. Resumed the march again at 4 a. m. of the 29th, following the line of the Second Corps to the left of Petersburg for about three miles. halted at 9 a. m., and relieved the One hundred and twentieth New York State Volunteers, being a portion of the Second Corps. Sent 120 men forward at once on the picket-line; the remainder of the regiment occupied the camp of the One hundred and twentieth New York Volunteers. At 7 p. m. of the 30th of March the remainder of the regiment went out as reserve for the picket-line, where we lay upon our arms until 5 p. m. of the 31st, when we returned to the works. The picket-line, 120 strong, advanced at 8 a. m. on the 31st, under my personal command as brigade officer of the day, tow thin 200 yards of the enemy's works, capturing their entire picket-line in our front, consisting of 125 men of the Forty-sixth and Forty-eighth North Carolina Battalions. From this position a sharp fire was kept up through the day.

The casualties on this occasion were as follows, viz.*

During April 1 the regiment was under arms at the works, 120 men on the picket-line. At 7 a. m. of the 2nd marched to the right about two miles to the breach in the enemy's works in front of the Sixth Corps. After passing to the rear of the enemy's works we moved to the right in the direction of Petersburg; were support to the carding column upon Forts Gregg and Baldwin; where the casualties were, viz.+

At 4 a. m. the picket-line, in command of Henry Parsons, captain Company H, advanced and captured the enemy's works in their front, together with about 300 prisoners, 1 six-gun battery, the horses, harness,

---------------

*Nominal list (omitted) shows 1 officer and 3 enlisted men wounded.

+Nominal list (omitted) shows 4 enlisted men wounded.


and appurtenances thereto belonging, 1 battle-flag (the colors of the Eighth Mississippi Regiment), and other property, which was duly turned over to the provost guard of the Sixth Corps. The loss was one killed, viz: George L. Matthews, privated, Company A. At 11 a. m. the pickets rejoined the regiment, and at 5 p. m. the regiment moved into Fort Baldwin, which we occupied until 4 a. m., April 3, when we again resumed the march, which we continued until 8 p. m., when we halted for the night near the South Side Railroad. On the 4th my command was detailed as guard to the First Division wagon train; camped for the night at the park of the train; joined the brigade at 9 a. m. April 5 and continued the march during the entire day.

April 6 [5?], resumed the march at 4 a. m. and reached Burkeville at 11 p. m., where we camped for the night. Left Burkeville at 10 a. m. April 7 [6?]; marched to Rice's Station, which we reached at 3 p. m., at which place we came up with the enemy and engaged him. Our losses were as follows, viz: Caleb G. Jackson, second lieutenant, Company I, killed; James Tuttle, private, Company B, wounded. At dark my line was thrown forward some 500 yards to the crest of the hill, and the regiment was engaged during the night in entrenching in that position. On the 8th (the enemy having retreated during the night) we moved forward at 5 a. m., and continued the march along the South Side Railroad until 11 p. m., when a halt was made for the night. At 3 a. m. April 9 moved forward again, and at 7 a. m. engaged the enemy near Appomattox Court-House. Here the enemy found himself so hardly pressed by the superior marching and fighting of our front, and realizing that we were there, he proposed a surrender, which was duly executed and carried out by turning over his arms, colors, and property to the Fifth Corps, who arrived upon the ground just in time to receive the same, while, we who really prevented his escape, lay in our present position waiting for something to turn up, where we have remained up to this date.

Too much credit cannot be given to the officers and men of this command for the gallant manner in which they, together with their comrades of the brigade and corps, have entered to fight and endured the march. Were all have done so well it would be invidious to attempt to mention any one individual.

I am, captain, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. B. MURRAY,

Colonel, Commanding Regiment.

Captain S. C. ROOF,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.
 
My Gx4 Uncle Pvt Wilson Jones Comoany B 38th NC Inf died there April 29th, 1865 of Chronic Diarrhea after being captured at Hatchers run earlier that month. He is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn....only 5 miles from my Grandmother's childhood home in the Italian Immigrant (Now Ritzy) neighborhood of Park Slope! I hope to visit him soon, nobody in the family knew where he was buried or what happened to him! Does anyone know the condition if any of he remnants of the Camp?
 
My Gx4 Uncle Pvt Wilson Jones Comoany B 38th NC Inf died there April 29th, 1865 of Chronic Diarrhea after being captured at Hatchers run earlier that month. He is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn....only 5 miles from my Grandmother's childhood home in the Italian Immigrant (Now Ritzy) neighborhood of Park Slope! I hope to visit him soon, nobody in the family knew where he was buried or what happened to him! Does anyone know the condition if any of he remnants of the Camp?
http://www.junipercivic.com/historyArticle.asp?nid=72#.VTUhYSFViko
 
A distant cousin of mine, Sgt. John Alexander Rosborough, 12th Infantry Regiment SouthCarolina, Infantry, fought in Petersburg as subsequently was captured and taken to Hart's Island as well. Here is an excerpt from his obituary:

"When the War between the States came on, John Rosborough volunteered and became a member of Company L, 12th South Carolina Regiment, under Gen. Maxey Gregg, Stonewall Jackson's Division, A. N. V., and took part part in the battle of Port Royal, the Seven Days' fighting about Richmond, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Gettysburg, and the continuous fighting around Petersburg. He was wounded twice at Sharpsburg and was in that portion of the battle where trees were cut down by Minie balls from the enemy. At Appomattox, when his company was being surrounded, he did all possible to persuade his comrades to resist capture, but he was the only one to attempt escape. He was captured at the forks of the South Railroad and, with his company and many others, was sent to New York to prison, where they were kept until the end of June, 1865; being then sent South, he returned home, where he had been mourned as dead for many months."
 

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Hart Island made the news recently. Families of the dead buried there will have better access to the site than in the past.
Here are a few links regarding the story & the island. Hart Island's primary use has been & continues to be a Potter's Field for the indigent or unclaimed/unknown NYC dead. It is estimated over 1 million souls have been buried on Hart Island. Little development has taken place on the island so it is not hard to imagine what it must have been like during its use as a CW POW Camp from the photos/videos contained in the links.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs...-field--opens-to-relatives-of-the-buried.html

https://www.hartisland.net/news_and_events

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/n...isits-to-grave-sites-on-hart-island.html?_r=0

https://www.hartisland.net/


Mark
 
Thank you for the information, and pardon me for being so slow to respond. I sort of forgot about this site. Was going through a list of web sites I had joined and found it again. I need to get the book, Portals to Hell.
 
My 2nd great-grandfather was in Co. B, 22nd NC Regiment, Scales' Brigade. He was captured on April 2, 1865 at Hatcher's Run (right wing, near Petersburg), processed at City Point, VA on April 7, and taken to Hart's Island Prison in New York Harbor. He was released June 11th. He had survived Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, and the rest of the war, having fought in many of the major battles. My question is, how did he make it back home to the peaceful mountains of Western North Carolina (McDowell County) when he was released from the prison camp? I know he could have walked, or he could have used his oath papers to gain passage on a boat headed to Wilmington and then a train headed west, but I'm looking for some kind of confirmation. He lived until 1916 and our family still gathers at his homeplace every September.
 
My 2nd great-grandfather was in Co. B, 22nd NC Regiment, Scales' Brigade. He was captured on April 2, 1865 at Hatcher's Run (right wing, near Petersburg), processed at City Point, VA on April 7, and taken to Hart's Island Prison in New York Harbor. He was released June 11th. He had survived Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, and the rest of the war, having fought in many of the major battles. My question is, how did he make it back home to the peaceful mountains of Western North Carolina (McDowell County) when he was released from the prison camp? I know he could have walked, or he could have used his oath papers to gain passage on a boat headed to Wilmington and then a train headed west, but I'm looking for some kind of confirmation. He lived until 1916 and our family still gathers at his homeplace every September.

Welcome. I had relatives in Company A of the 22nd NC. They were nephews of my 2nd great-grandfather, David Land, a 40 year-old conscript in the 13th NC. He to was captured April 2nd, 1865 "at the South Side Railroad", processed on April 7, and also sent to Hart's Island. Here's some info on his return to North Carolina (Wilkes County) that may help you.

http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/66b0a...380445/-262083300?_phsrc=hOa864&usePUBJs=true
 
Thank you for sharing that link on David Land. Very informative. I have seen the "General Order No. 109" at the bottom of the card for my 2nd great grandfather, but just assumed it was the order to release the prisoners. Now I'll look that up as well.
 
My Paternal 2 x great-grandfather, DAVID LAND from Wilkes County, NC. Served in Co. I 13th NC. Infantry was captured April 2nd 1865 " on the south side rail road " Petersburg / Richmond, Virginia. Held here till June 19-20, 1865. Anyone else with Ancestors who were held here ? Or maybe part of guard force ?

In 1865, as the Civil War was ending, the Federal government used the Island as a prison camp for Confederate soldiers. Hart Island was a prisoner of war camp for four months in 1865. 3,413 captured Confederate soldiers were housed. 235 died. Their remains were relocated to Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn in 1941.
The final prison established by the Union was on Hart Island in New York City and it quickly evolved into the city's most horrible site. Located in Long Island Sound about twenty miles north of the city and just a few miles south of David's Island, Hart Island wasn't even used until April 1865, the month the Civil War came to an end. Within three weeks of its opening, 3,413 POWs are crammed into the post's tiny enclosed area Hart does not become completely cleared of prisoners until July. Within the four months of its operation, nearly 7 percent of all the camp's POWs died, mostly from illnesses brought with them, such as chronic diarrhea and pneumonia.View attachment 5737View attachment 5738
It, too, was nothing more than a concentration camp. The first POWs arrived on April 7 ( David Land was processed that day at City Point, Virginia ) and were immediately placed into a stockade enclosure of about four acres. "Two thousand and twenty-nine prisoners of war were received," noted Henry W Wessells, the prison commandant. "They seem to be healthy with few exceptions, and tolerably well clothed ... The guard is entirely insufficient consisting of a small detachment sent with them from City Point. Three hundred and fifty effective men are required."
 
Welcome. I had relatives in Company A of the 22nd NC. They were nephews of my 2nd great-grandfather, David Land, a 40 year-old conscript in the 13th NC. He to was captured April 2nd, 1865 "at the South Side Railroad", processed on April 7, and also sent to Hart's Island. Here's some info on his return to North Carolina (Wilkes County) that may help you.

http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/66b0a...380445/-262083300?_phsrc=hOa864&usePUBJs=true
My Paternal 2 x great-grandfather, DAVID LAND from Wilkes County, NC. Served in Co. I 13th NC. Infantry was captured April 2nd 1865 " on the south side rail road " Petersburg / Richmond, Virginia. Held here till June 19-20, 1865. Anyone else with Ancestors who were held here ? Or maybe part of guard force ?

In 1865, as the Civil War was ending, the Federal government used the Island as a prison camp for Confederate soldiers. Hart Island was a prisoner of war camp for four months in 1865. 3,413 captured Confederate soldiers were housed. 235 died. Their remains were relocated to Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn in 1941.
The final prison established by the Union was on Hart Island in New York City and it quickly evolved into the city's most horrible site. Located in Long Island Sound about twenty miles north of the city and just a few miles south of David's Island, Hart Island wasn't even used until April 1865, the month the Civil War came to an end. Within three weeks of its opening, 3,413 POWs are crammed into the post's tiny enclosed area Hart does not become completely cleared of prisoners until July. Within the four months of its operation, nearly 7 percent of all the camp's POWs died, mostly from illnesses brought with them, such as chronic diarrhea and pneumonia.View attachment 5737View attachment 5738
It, too, was nothing more than a concentration camp. The first POWs arrived on April 7 ( David Land was processed that day at City Point, Virginia ) and were immediately placed into a stockade enclosure of about four acres. "Two thousand and twenty-nine prisoners of war were received," noted Henry W Wessells, the prison commandant. "They seem to be healthy with few exceptions, and tolerably well clothed ... The guard is entirely insufficient consisting of a small detachment sent with them from City Point. Three hundred and fifty effective men are required."
My 2x GreatGrandfather's 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry served as a guard unit at Hart's Island, NY. The regiment was shipped from the front in Petersburg's, VA City Point on 11Feb1865, and left the island, for discharge, 12June1865. I don't have much information yet, howerever I have read that their duties were to guard the prison camp, and to escort new recruits, and convalescents to the front.
 
My 2x GreatGrandfather's 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry served as a guard unit at Hart's Island, NY.

 
My GGRandfather George Washington Litton, a member of the 29th Virginia of Corse's Brigade in Picket's Division, was captured on April 1, 1865 at Dinwiddie Courthouse and sent to Harts Island were he died on May 25 of Cholera. He is buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery under the name of Litten. Due to the courtesy of @Pat Young, my wife Sue Ellen and I had the opportunity to visit his grave. Thank you Pat!
Regards
David
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My GGRandfather George Washington Litton, a member of the 29th Virginia of Corse's Brigade in Picket's Division, was captured on April 1, 1865 at Dinwiddie Courthouse and sent to Harts Island were he died on May 25 of Cholera. He is buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery under the name of Litten. Due to the courtesy of @Pat Young, my wife Sue Ellen and I had the opportunity to visit his grave. Thank you Pat!
Regards
David
View attachment 359542
It was a pleasure to meet the two of you. If you are back in New York, let me know.
 
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