Parole system?

[Blake in Ft Reno]

Good evening CWT community!

In documents I am researching I see references to both paroled and exchanged prisoners. Can someone summarize the parole system or point me to a book/article where I can learn more about it? How was it different/related to the system of prisoner exchange?

Thanks much in advance!

 

[Suzanne A]

I'm baffled about this too. I'm reading Vol. XXII of the OR's because I had several relatives fighting and living in MO, KS and AR. I'm trying to absorb the tactics of the War.

What I see before the last part of 1863, is the Union captures prisoners, sometimes including high ranking officers, and then "paroles" them, if they will "accept" that -- there is discussion at one point of a number on Confederate prisoners in Northern AR who refused parole and chose to stay as prisoners. I guess the names of the parolees were put on a written list which was provided to the enemy and the prisoner was provided with parole papers, and both sides were supposedly operating under a formal understanding that the parolees would not take up arms again for their side until they were "exchanged" for a parolee or POW from the other side. The federal soldiers and militias taking prisoners in this area of operations which often focused on guerrilla raids and murders apparently had no means to detain or transport their prisoners. Were the Union and Confederacy even maintaining prison camps at this time?

The whole idea that you could run a War on this kind of "honor system" seems absolutely crazy to me. Some Internet source I read for background said the Confederates were just returning parolees to active service. I saw in the OR's that at one point the Union commander in that area officially announced a "take no prisoners" policy for the bushwacker/Confederate guerrilla fighters it was hunting down and one officer's Report apologized for having to take two captives prisoner "because of the circumstances". Was this policy adopted because they would otherwise have had to parole them and that would have been a futile and self-defeating gesture since the guerrillas were lawless by definition and would never have Union prisoners to exchange.

Then in 1863 this policy seems to have changed, although I see no mention of an official Order from above in that chapter. Did they develop or expand at that point a system of POW camps and for detaining and transporting their prisoners? We know the POW camps were hell holes, so how did that work out? The wretched conditions that ensued would certainly have hardened feelings and resolve against both sides during the War. If this reversal of policy sent Union men to Andersonville, where the Confederates did not seem to budget for food or shelter, was the change in policy a bad idea for the Union?

I would also appreciate your comments, opinions and sources of this topic.

 

[ErnieMac]

Suzanne A states the basic parole system correctly. The Dix-Hill Cartel of July, 1862, formalized a system that had developed since the beginning of the War. It even went so far as to establish exchange rates for officers (1 Colonel = 15 Privates) in case an officer of equal rank was not available for exchange. The full text of the Cartel is linked below. Prison camps such as Camp Chase, Fort McHenry, Alton, Johnson's Island, Castle Thunder, Libby, etc. opened, but the number of prisoners was small owing to the level of combat operations. That began to change in early 1862 when large scale combat began. http://cwnc.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/611

Large scale captures of opposing soldiers began in 1862 (ie: Fort Donelson, Harper's Ferry). Rather than burden transportation networks with large number of men who would then have to be housed and fed, paroles were given. The reason A. P. Hill was late arriving at Sharpsburg is that his division was busy paroling Federal captives at Harper's Ferry. Paroled soldiers were on their honor not to serve until exchanged. If recaptured serving before being exchanged, a soldier could be executed. Confederate parolees frequently awaited exchange at their homes. The Federal government set up parole camps were Union parolees were housed. The town of Parole, Maryland, got its name as it was the location of Camp Parole, one such camp. Camp Douglas, later notorious as a POW camp for Confederates, served as a base for Harper's Ferry parolees as well.

The system began to breakdown in 1863 largely due to mistrust between the two sides. In 1862 the Union Army sent troops on parole to help put down the Dakota Uprising in Minnesota. Confederates claimed this violated the Cartel. The Federal government claimed some Confederates captured at Chickamauga were parolees from Vicksburg who had not been properly exchanged. The decision of Confederate government not to parole and exchange African American Union soldiers provoked a suspension of the Cartel by June, 1863. Exchanges restarted in late 1863, but General Grant, as commander of the Union armies, halted them in April, 1864, and they would not resume until January, 1865. Special exceptions were made for sick and invalid prisoners. It was in the late 1863 - early 1864 that some the more notorious prison camps opened - Elmira, Camp Sumter (Andersonville).

 

[Suzanne A]

Suzanne A states the basic parole system correctly. The Dix-Hill Cartel of July, 1862, formalized a system that had developed since the beginning of the War. It even went so far as to establish exchange rates for officers (1 Colonel = 15 Privates) in case an officer of equal rank was not available for exchange. The full text of the Cartel is linked below. Prison camps such as Camp Chase, Fort McHenry, Alton, Johnson's Island, Castle Thunder, Libby, etc. opened, but the number of prisoners was small owing to the level of combat operations. That began to change in early 1862 when large scale combat began. http://cwnc.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/611

Large scale captures of opposing soldiers began in 1862 (ie: Fort Donelson, Harper's Ferry). Rather than burden transportation networks with large number of men who would then have to be housed and fed, paroles were given. The reason A. P. Hill was late arriving at Sharpsburg is that his division was busy paroling Federal captives at Harper's Ferry. Paroled soldiers were on their honor not to serve until exchanged. If recaptured serving before being exchanged, a soldier could be executed. Confederate parolees frequently awaited exchange at their homes. The Federal government set up parole camps were Union parolees were housed. The town of Parole, Maryland, got its name as it was the location of Camp Parole, one such camp. Camp Douglas, later notorious as a POW camp for Confederates, served as a base for Harper's Ferry parolees as well.

The system began to breakdown in 1863 largely due to mistrust between the two sides. In 1862 the Union Army sent troops on parole to help put down the Dakota Uprising in Minnesota. Confederates claimed this violated the Cartel. The Federal government claimed some Confederates captured at Chickamauga were parolees from Vicksburg who had not been properly exchanged. The decision of Confederate government not to parole and exchange African American Union soldiers provoked a suspension of the Cartel by June, 1863. Exchanges restarted in late 1863, but General Grant, as commander of the Union armies, halted them in April, 1864, and they would not resume until January, 1865. Special exceptions were made for sick and invalid prisoners. It was in the late 1863 - early 1864 that some the more notorious prison camps opened - Elmira, Camp Sumter (Andersonville).

Thanks for your time and effort, this is a great response to our questions and very much appreciated. If I could "like" more than once, you'd get many from me.

 

[ErnieMac]

The attached link contains a photocopy on the NPS Vicksburg site of a parole document signed by Leste Bourg, Private, Company D, 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery. Tabs link to alphabetical listings of Confederate POWs taken at Vicksburg.
http://www.nps.gov/vick/learn/historyculture/confederate-parole-records-index.htm

The following entry from Booth's Index to Louisiana Confederate Soldiers provides insight into issues the Confederates had with their paroled prisoners in that many of them never returned to the Confederate armies.

Bourg, Leste, Pvt. Co. D. 1st La. Hvy. Arty. En. Oct. 20th, 1862, Louisiana. Conscript. Present on Rolls to April, 1863. Captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Miss., July 4th, 1863. Rolls from Oct. 31st, 1863, to Dec., 1863, "Paroled. Absent without leave since fall of Vicksburg. Went to La." Roll for Jan. and Feb., 1864. "Deserted at Vicksburg. Went to West La. after the fall of the city."​

 

[Blake in Ft Reno]

Great info!

Thanks to the both of you. @Suzanne A where are you finding the ORs?

 

[ErnieMac]

Great info!

Thanks to the both of you. @Suzanne A where are you finding the ORs?

Official Records online:
http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/waro.html (Armies)
http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/ofre.html (Navies)
http://ehistory.osu.edu/books/official-records (Armies Digital)
http://ehistory.osu.edu/books/official-records/atlas-plates-1-60 (Atlas)

 

[Suzanne A]

Thanks Ernie Mac for the comprehensive list. Blake, I read the Cornell ebook, but these digital volumes are not easy sets to use. The Table of Contents does not give you page numbers, for example. After a lot of trial and error, I got the hang of it. But here's what I wish I had done that I didn't do -- make a note of particularly interesting passages with page numbers because they are very, very hard to find again if you don't. I should have kept a little digital notebook as I was reading. If you read a whole of these at a time, you will feel like you're ready to get on your horse and go out go out and lead your men!

 

[Specster]

I dont like to say that an issue is "complicated" and dismiss it as such, as well often do with Missouri issues. Yet, at the end of the day the POWS exchanges were on again, off again affairs. You cannot lay blame on Grant, Halleck and Lincoln alone for this. It was Davis who stopped the 1st exchanges in response to Banks order to hang a man in New Orleans (William Mumford). It took a while to iron out the details of the Dix-Hill cartel and it, by most accounts, worked well. But if the execution of one man could stop the exchange, I think the writing was on the wall going forward.

I dont think, from what I recall, that life at Northerm prisons was too sesvere. Camp Douglas was quite liberal early on and escapes were not difficult. Food and blankets were available but sewage was a problem. Eventually, the clamps were applied several revolvers were recovered from the prisoners. I do not discount the fact that life got harsher at Camp Douglas in response to reports coming out of the South from Northern escapees and exchanges.

Union parolees not yet exchanged were also housed at Douglas and they did not fair much better. These men signed parole papers staing they would not take up arms until properly exchanged. Some men took advanatge of this by refusing to do any work at all.

When you concentrate people health issues with multiple. At least the authorities tried to institute a modern sewage system in 1863. I did not hear of anything like that attempted in the South. To the contrary, using a single stream for drinking bathing and sewage in engineered murder. Although the Union parolees faired a little better than confederates, they were healthier and better clothed going in, and their confinements were generally about 2 months. Still many got sick and died.

At least they had some form of shelter from the elements. To say we are comparing apples to apples, north and south just doesnt seem to be true. Every picture tells a story and their are plenty of pics of southern prisons with healthy guards standing next to skeletal prisoners. The pics of prisoners at Douglas look like normal men.

Exchanges, paroles, retaliation, retribution, were on and off throughout the war. News did not always travel overnight. It was a mess.

As others have noted above, once Grant took command prisoner exchange was stopped. It was a matter of numbers. The South could not replace men loss where the North had the escaping black troops, european immigrants, and a large population base which was expanding.

I understand that the Confederates offered to release the men at Andersonville but it never happened. With Shermans appoach the prison was emptied. It was used again later in the war, but with far fewer prisoners.

 

[Blake in Ft Reno]

Thanks Ernie Mac for the comprehensive list. Blake, I read the Cornell ebook, but these digital volumes are not easy sets to use. The Table of Contents does not give you page numbers, for example. After a lot of trial and error, I got the hang of it. But here's what I wish I had done that I didn't do -- make a note of particularly interesting passages with page numbers because they are very, very hard to find again if you don't. I should have kept a little digital notebook as I was reading. If you read a whole of these at a time, you will feel like you're ready to get on your horse and go out go out and lead your men!

I hear ya. I'm lucky enough to be in DC so I go to the LOC to read volumes. Otherwise citing them would be a nightmare and probably wouldn't even fly with my professors. I'm wondering how widely available printed volumes are and if a person could buy certain ones based on what they need?

 

[Blake in Ft Reno]

I dont like to say that an issue is "complicated" and dismiss it as such, as well often do with Missouri issues. Yet, at the end of the day the POWS exchanges were on again, off again affairs. You cannot lay blame on Grant, Halleck and Lincoln alone for this. It was Davis who stopped the 1st exchanges in response to Banks order to hang a man in New Orleans (William Mumford). It took a while to iron out the details of the Dix-Hill cartel and it, by most accounts, worked well. But if the execution of one man could stop the exchange, I think the writing was on the wall going forward.

I dont think, from what I recall, that life at Northerm prisons was too sesvere. Camp Douglas was quite liberal early on and escapes were not difficult. Food and blankets were available but sewage was a problem. Eventually, the clamps were applied several revolvers were recovered from the prisoners. I do not discount the fact that life got harsher at Camp Douglas in response to reports coming out of the South from Northern escapees and exchanges.

Union parolees not yet exchanged were also housed at Douglas and they did not fair much better. These men signed parole papers staing they would not take up arms until properly exchanged. Some men took advanatge of this by refusing to do any work at all.

When you concentrate people health issues with multiple. At least the authorities tried to institute a modern sewage system in 1863. I did not hear of anything like that attempted in the South. To the contrary, using a single stream for drinking bathing and sewage in engineered murder. Although the Union parolees faired a little better than confederates, they were healthier and better clothed going in, and their confinements were generally about 2 months. Still many got sick and died.

At least they had some form of shelter from the elements. To say we are comparing apples to apples, north and south just doesnt seem to be true. Every picture tells a story and their are plenty of pics of southern prisons with healthy guards standing next to skeletal prisoners. The pics of prisoners at Douglas look like normal men.

Exchanges, paroles, retaliation, retribution, were on and off throughout the war. News did not always travel overnight. It was a mess.

As others have noted above, once Grant took command prisoner exchange was stopped. It was a matter of numbers. The South could not replace men loss where the North had the escaping black troops, european immigrants, and a large population base which was expanding.

I understand that the Confederates offered to release the men at Andersonville but it never happened. With Shermans appoach the prison was emptied. It was used again later in the war, but with far fewer prisoners.

Something I'm seeing in my research is the administration of the parole camp near Alexandria established in 9/1862. The cartel said that parolees could not take up arms again or engage in labor. An interesting problem came up when assistant surgeons were impressing parolees to serve as nurses at the Union Hotel Hospital. Major General Banks had to make the decision to send the prisoners back to camp.

There were a few communication sent about the poor treatment of parolees and the generally bad condition of the camp. I would chalk a lot of the latter to the fact that at least this camp was very hastily constructed right before a very bad winter for the DMV area.

I had seen these kinds of communications but didn't understand the parole system enough to have context. Thanks everyone, this information helps a lot.