Help with finding POW records

[Capt. Glasgow]

Good afternoon,

I am interested in locating my g-g-g-grandfather's parole signature. Isham Pitman was in Co. E of the 51st NC. According to fold3 he signed his parole along with hundreds of other men as a signature on October 11, 1864 at Elmira on a roll. I cannot find this document! I have searched familysearch's confederate pow records to no avail. I appreciate any assistance!

 

[Gary Morgan]

You need to go to the University of North Carolina. They have two letters there from Isham to his wife, and two others that look like they are from his brother (?), on describing his burial.

Confederate Papers, 1861-1865

finding-aids.lib.unc.edu

5 May, 6 September, 19 November 1864 letters from Isham Pittman to his wife describing his transfer to Richmond, from Elmira Prison in New York, and a letter from H. T. Pittman telling of Isham's burial to his wife .

Good luck!

 

[lupaglupa]

Your gr-gr-gr-grandfather and mine were paroled from Elmira at the same time, though mine was not at the camp quite as long. Isham arrived at Elmira July 17 and J.C., my gr-gr-grandfather, got there on August 11th. Small world.

The men who were paroled then were those who the Union considered well enough to travel but too sick to effectively fight more. The records I found show that Isham spent 30 days in the hospital in 1863 with typhoid fever. It may be that he was weakened by the bout with typhoid and got worse or relapsed after capture. Elmira wasn't called "Hellmira" for nothing - many men got sick and died there, though our ancestors missed the worst of it by leaving before the winter.

I have never seen a parole paper from my gr-gr-gr-grandfather. It may be that they exist and have not been digitized. The National Archives lists parole records as part of the collection of Confederate Records on microfilm 109.14.2, Records relating to prisoners, oaths, and paroles. A description of that is here -

War Department Collection of Confederate Records

War Department Collection of Confederate Records in the holdings of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. From the Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the U.S.

www.archives.gov

I'm so impressed @Gary Morgan found some family letters! In addition to that, I do recommend that you look at Anthony Keiley's "Prisoner of War, or Five Months Among the Yankees," published in 1865. Keiley was at Elmira and left in the same parole - his descriptions of the experience are excellent You can read it online at -

Prisoner of war, or, Five months among the Yankees : being a narrative of the crosses, calamities, and consolations of a Petersburg militiaman during an enforced summer residence north : Keiley, A. M. (Anthony M.), 1835-1905 : Free Download, Borrow,

The greater part of this edition was destroyed by fire at the capture of Richmond in 1865. A new edition with author's name on t.p. was published in New York,...

archive.org