Did the Irving Block Prison allow visitors?

Joined
Aug 1, 2018
Location
Nashville, TN
This was an office building on Second Avenue in Memphis that the Yankees converted into a prison. I know that the conditions were despicable and that corrupt commanders used it as a way to exhort large sums of money from the families of the prisoners. What I'm specifically looking for was did they allow visitors, and were visitors allowed to bring food to the prisoners?

Thanks,

Cody
 
I kind of think you are answering your own question. "conditions were despicable and that corrupt commanders used it as a way to exhort large sums of money from the families of the prisoners." So any favoritism of visitation or goodie bags that may have happened certainly would have been subject to payola. Were there any official records of the facility?
 
I kind of think you are answering your own question. "conditions were despicable and that corrupt commanders used it as a way to exhort large sums of money from the families of the prisoners." So any favoritism of visitation or goodie bags that may have happened certainly would have been subject to payola. Were there any official records of the facility?
Sure, but I still can't determine if visits were allowed. I don't know of any official records, but I'm digging.
 
Cody,

Visitors were allowed but bribes were sometimes required. Its nickname was the Bastille of the South. The prison housed Union soldiers, captured Confederates, and disloyal Confederates. It was a four story building with the second floor used to imprison women and children. There was a high mortality rate but conditions in the basement were the worst with prisoners shackled and chained for months on end without release even to go to bathroom.
 
Cody,

Visitors were allowed but bribes were sometimes required. Its nickname was the Bastille of the South. The prison housed Union soldiers, captured Confederates, and disloyal Confederates. It was a four story building with the second floor used to imprison women and children. There was a high mortality rate but conditions in the basement were the worst with prisoners shackled and chained for months on end without release even to go to bathroom.
Thank you.
 
Interesting; after complaints of the conditions reached Stanton in the War dept, he dismissed the prison commandant, Capt. Williams, who had been running an extortion ring in the prison but Gn Grant intervened on his behalf.
 
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