Richmond's Tobacco Warehouse Prisons, Bars Beyond Libby, Where Are They?

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Fairly famous image of Rockett's, ( and a cow... ) section of Richmond, Virginia. Naval yard across the river, wharf where the Gettysburg Dead arrived in 1871, houses and businesses this side. That's a tobacco warehouse, the 4 story brick, 4 chimney's? I'm not sure how extensive was Rocketts. Liggons tobacco warehouse prison was in Rocketts- is this Liggons or one of the others we've never heard of?

Just posted this in another thread, need the comparison here. Guessing most tobacco warehouse were very similar, still, same 4 story, 4 chimney structure- Harpers ( also NYPL ), depicting the day prisoners were freed.
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We do this noticeable ' thing ' in relation to quite a bit of Civil War history. ONE or maybe a few famous names, be it person, place or event tends to represent numerous. It's especially noticeable discussing say, nurses- Dix, Barton, Pemberton, the Woolsey sisters, Bickerdyke, or civilians whose names mark history. You know, John Burns and Jenny Wade of Gettysburg, spies like Greenhow and maybe Van Lew. In fact we have no clue how many women served as Civil War nurses, nameless spies make appearances through a gazillion era newspaper articles and just in Gettysburg civilian stories are incredibly numerous. Anyone know the name of the black civilian who, like Burns, hefted a musket in defense of the town? ( Yes, I do )

Libby and Sons, Carey Street, Richmond seems a terrific example of this. Possibly because Libby has famous stories like that of Captain Rose's tunnel attached, maybe because it was dismantled, transported elsewhere and turned into a museum so enjoyed a second ' life ', perhaps because there are quite a few surviving images, who knows? Here's the thing- tobacco warehouse prisons were scattered through Richmond. We've also heard of Castle Thunder, where Dr. Mary Walker spent some time but anyone hear of Castle Lightening? I hadn't either until reading an address printed in a Gettysburg newspaper. Civilians taken prisoner during the battle were apparently housed there- finally found it. @lelliott19 mentioned ' Bailey's ', Liggons was apparently at Rockett's- yet another.
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This is Libby after Union troops took over, now housing Confederate stragglers and a few vocal civilians.

It's a ' sincere question ' thread. What was where and do we have images? So here's one from LoC, from a stereo view cropped and blown up. Titled " Libby Prison " I just do not think it is. Sequence of windows is wrong- side facing the river would have the same number. This one has 5-3-5, no windows at all on the short side. It's not Castle Thunder or Liggons, if Harper's depiction is accurate- so which prison? I'm not sure the house next to it right for Libby, either.

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You can get a lot from an image. What I'd like to know is where were the others AND do we have images of them and do not know it?

There are actually a few ' Libby ' images I find puzzling hence questionable. If not Libby, which? If there's any interest, will post more comparisons. What if we have photos of other, less well known prisons, which are they?

View from ' Libby Hill ' although I don't know what that means. Long building is another- someone said a hospital and prison? Anyone know which, please?
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Purpose of thread is ascertain how many images of Richmond prisons we may have- and which they would be. I'm seriously not pretending to discover anything new- I just want to KNOW.

Another case in point. Both images are labeled " Castle Thunder ". Pretty sure these are not of the same building. So what other prison has been documented? *disclaimer* SCOFFING DISALLOWED. Disagree sure, play nice.
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@lelliott19 mentioned ' Bailey's ',
Unfortunately, I still don't know exactly where Bailey's Tobacco Factory was located. It is referenced in two different locations. In History of Company A, First Ohio Cavalry, William Vincent says he and another "non-prisoner prisoner*" spent a night there in late 1863. He calls it a Soldiers' Home and says it was located at the corner of 14th and Cary Streets, which would be in the Shockoe Slip area. Link page 184. See the story of the non-prisoner prisoners here . On the other hand, Louise Kernodle, in her 1918 Guide Book of the City of Richmond, says that James M Bailey's Tobacco Factory was converted to the Soldier's Home in 1864 and was located at 100 South 7th Street. Link page 61.
 
Unfortunately, I still don't know exactly where Bailey's Tobacco Factory was located. It is referenced in two different locations. In History of Company A, First Ohio Cavalry, William Vincent says he and another "non-prisoner prisoner*" spent a night there in late 1863. He calls it a Soldiers' Home and says it was located at the corner of 14th and Cary Streets, which would be in the Shockoe Slip area. Link page 184. See the story of the non-prisoner prisoners here . On the other hand, Louise Kernodle, in her 1918 Guide Book of the City of Richmond, says that James M Bailey's Tobacco Factory was converted to the Soldier's Home in 1864 and was located at 100 South 7th Street. Link page 61.
I think soldier William Vincent was talking about General Hospital #2 which was also called: "Bailey's Factory Hospital". It was located in the tobacco factory of S. W. Bailey and Company (not James M. Bailey Tobacco Factory) and was used as a hospital in 1861 and 1862 and closed in July 1863.
The hospital was a three storied, A-roofed building on the south side Cary Street at the southwest corner of 7th Street.

From Confederate Military Hospitals in Richmond by Robert W. Waitt, Jr., Official Publication #22 Richmond Civil War Centennial committee, Richmond, Virginia 1964.)

Also see:
 
The location where Libby Prison once stood is now occupied by transportation infrastructure and the flood wall.

Whoa, how new is that? Hadn't looked for a lot of years, last time I did it was a collection of parking lots both sides of an alley. Thanks for the pic!

Here's the view today


That's at least recognizable, thanks for the image! REALLY must get to Richmond, last time I had a terribly inaccurate idea of what was where and missed Hollywood entirely. So much history in one place, it'd take awhile getting around all of it.


A-roofed building on the south side Cary Street at the southwest corner of 7th Street.

Thank you! That means there's probably at least an image of that spot. I know Cary was hit hard during the fire/riot, looks to be a ton of rubble the length of the street down from Libby. Read a description shortly afterwards stating it was a miraCle Libby hadn't been burned, too.

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That's Libby, crowd outside.
 
Thanks for sharing this awesome article and photos. Another piece of Civil War history found.


And still looking! Really, really would love to know more of what was where in Richmond. It's funny how a tobacco warehouse image automatically becomes Libby- probably because that's the best known. There's also one image listed as Wayside Hospital? Apparently Wayside was a hospital system, not just one building. We could be looking at other hospitals, too, without knowing it.
 

" Richmond homes and memories " Robert Beverley Munford, has a ton of terrific stuff - someone who knows Richmond would be able to use it to map out old Richmond along with the old prisons. ( editing to add I'm not sure if that Hathitrust link posted- it's public access. If it didn't just go to Hathitrust and type the title in their search )

" More memories of Cary Street — Picnics and Sunday afternoon walks — Belle Isle and the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works ", from chapter 5- before or after the war, no clue because I haven't looked. This book does list quite a few other sources for old Richmond.

Years ago, a member here told me Moore hospital , Richmond, was also a prison. Member really knew his history- anyone know where Moore was? Probably had a " Prison number # " or " Hospital #x " designation.

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Ok, it's off thread but had to add this on Moore Hospital. @lelliott19 , goodness, here's one for the medical profession. Just tried to find something on Moore? I don't know whether I'm sorry or glad I did. It's very descriptive....

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Wow. Thanks fo sharing this JPK! I love reading those descriptions of operations! So Dr Manson excised the top half of the humerus and left the elbow joint and forearm alone. That's quite a large gap to leave without bony support. At the time, they thought of excision/resection as "conservative" surgery - save the limb and all - but it took much longer than amputation and the death rate was higher.

Here's the surgeon who was in charge of the Moore Hospital "through the whole war" and who performed that operation. Dr. Otis Frederick Manson (10 October 1822- 25 January 1888) he was a Richmond native, died there, and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.
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