Millen aka Camp Lawton

debwallsmith

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Nov 3, 2021
On this date in 1864 the remaining staff and prisoners were evacuated from Camp Lawton to Savannah. In Savannah, the POWs were exchanged/paroled or sent to prisons in the Carolinas. About 5000 were loaded on trains and sent to Blackshear, GA where they would spend about 2 weeks. From Blackshear they were sent to Thomasville, where again they spent about 2 weeks. They were then marched to Albany and loaded on trains and returned to Andersonville.
 
That sucks.... I wonder how many did not survive the trip?
It's hard to tell because we don't know exactly how many were sent although it's somewhere around 5000. Andersonville records show that 3474 returned. However, we also know that many of the prisoners escaped. Again, how many? There aren't any official records.
 
On this date in 1864 the remaining staff and prisoners were evacuated from Camp Lawton to Savannah. In Savannah, the POWs were exchanged/paroled or sent to prisons in the Carolinas. About 5000 were loaded on trains and sent to Blackshear, GA where they would spend about 2 weeks. From Blackshear they were sent to Thomasville, where again they spent about 2 weeks. They were then marched to Albany and loaded on trains and returned to Andersonville.
I'm new to this site so if this question has been asked, I'm sorry to repeat! My relative was "sent to Millen" from Andersonvile 10/31/1864. He died in 1914 so he obviously survived the war. Are there any records that list what happened to specific POWs after Camp Lawton closed?
 
I'm new to this site so if this question has been asked, I'm sorry to repeat! My relative was "sent to Millen" from Andersonvile 10/31/1864. He died in 1914 so he obviously survived the war. Are there any records that list what happened to specific POWs after Camp Lawton closed?
I maintain a database of Millen POWs and am trying to research what happened to as many of them as I can but there are over 3800 names. I am working on the project as fast as I can and rely on descendants to help as much as they can. Who was your ancestor?
 
I believe my GGrandfather, Robert Duncan Coombs (15th Pennsylvania Anderson Cavalry, Company F), was among those sent from Andersonville to Millen who were then exchanged at Savannah as "invalid" prisoners in November of 1864. I did find a newspaper article listing him as among the parolees from November headed to Camp Comfort in Annapolis. His comrade, Abraham Thomas, was among those sent from Millen to Blackshear and eventually back to Andersonville until the end of the war.

sn86053570 1864-12-01 1 1 image 681x647 from 2296x1378 to 4491x3466.jpg
 
The paper is the National Daily Republican, Washington D.C., December 1, 1864, available on Chronicling America, if you want to see the complete list of exchanged prisoners.
 
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