camp of parole

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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camp of parole Following the Confederate surrenders in Virginia and North Carolina, a number of prison camps became holding areas for forner prisoners awaiting parole.

From: "Webb Garrison's Civil War Dictionary" by Webb Garrison Sr. Page 62.
 
Just inland of Annapolis there exists what used to be the tiny berg of Parole Maryland. In the early part of the ACW union prisoners captured in Virginia were paroled and allowed to march north unmolested and unarmed to Parole Md to wait until they were exchanged. The DemocRATic Peoples Republic of Maryland has long ago allowed the area to be paved over by shopping centers the newest featuring high rise condos and stores.
 
After the surrender at Vicksburg, it took a few days for the parole paperwork to be completed. The soldiers were searched upon leaving ( to remove any military "contraband", including medicine), and then marched under their own officers to a camp assigned to them by the Confederate authorities to await exchange. They were paroled, but still part of the Confederate army and subject to it's discipline.

Upon reaching camp in northern Alabama (the same camp where it was organized), the 31st Alabama was furloughed and the men allowed to return home on 30-day leave. Unfortunately, not many returned. Rather than treat them as deserters, the officers in charge wisely decided to issue another 30-day extension of the parole, and sent out officers and men to seek out and gather the men back together at the end of the second furlough. This worked out rather well, almost all the missing men reported back to duty, along with some relatives as new enlistments to boot.

But the problem was when the Confederate authorities assigned the men to fight with the AoT, even though no one had seen evidence they had been exchanged. President Davis visited the camp and assured the men that it was just a normal government paperwork issue, that the exchange had been properly made, they could trust him on this. The men were still grumbing - no one wanted to get captured while under parole and not having been properly exchanged, but they went ahead and reported to the AoT where Hooker was already making his move against Lookout Mountain. At least two companies of the 31st Alabama were fighting at Lookout Mountain against Hooker's advance, and Grant specifically mentioned them in reference to suspending the parole and exchange system because he didn't believe they had been exchanged. The rest of the 31st was fighting the next day on the north side of Missionary Ridge line, and fought with the AoT for the remainder of the war, eventually being surrendered at N. Carolina.
 
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