Civil War Letters by Quaker Soldier Charles P. Judkins, 60th Indiana Infantry, with Union Prison Camp Morton Content. . ...

Description

"... all expected to be hung I supposed as soon as they got among the Yankees"

Civil War Letters by Quaker Soldier Charles P. Judkins, 60th Indiana Infantry, with Union Prison Camp Morton Content.

Eight letters dated from March 3 to April 25, 1862, one signed note dated "sixth day," and one printed broadside of the rules for Camp Morton. Letters are written in pencil and traced with ink. The items measure from 7 ¾ x 2 ¾ inches to 8 x 12 ½ inches. In February 1862, Judkins mustered into Company E of the 60th Indiana Infantry as a private and mustered out on March 11, 1865, as regimental quartermaster.

Judkins' participation in the Civil War is notable because of his affiliation with the Society of Friends. Although pacifism and nonviolence were critical tenets of the religion, Quakers in both the North and the South found themselves having to decide between their devotion to their faith and their personal convictions about the war. Those who joined the war effort often faced criticism and ostracization from their communities. However, some, like Judkins, remained close to their families and actively practiced their religion as best they could on the front lines.

Before the regiment saw action on the battlefield, it performed guard duty at Camp Morton, Indiana. Judkins described the dismal living conditions for captured rebels and the apathy with which Union staff treated the men. On March 3, 1862, he wrote, "I do think the prisoners are the most miserable lazy set of men I think I ever saw. They are all large enough but then they are so poorly clad, each one just seemed to dress as he pleased some wore military clothes, such as they were but the most of them were clothed in their citizen dress which consisted of a yellow pair of pants and the same colored coat and vest and the most of them have a piece of carpet thrown on their shoulders in place of blankets and each of them seemed about as miserable as it were possible for them to be, all expected to be hung I supposed as soon as they got among the Yankees. We hant [sic] hung although we have come near shooting one or two."

Judkins was not thrilled to be stationed at Camp Morton and expressed his disappointment to his mother in an undated letter received on March 8, 1862. He tried to make the best of it, mentioning a few notable prisoners. He wrote, in part, "Mother I have a good piece of news for thee however bad it may make me feel, I think we will stay here guarding the prisoners here until the war is over unless they exchange them for some of our men that they have taken which I can't think probable. We are fixing up the sheds around the camp and making a regular barracks of the place, and besides there is a thousand more prisoners coming here 140 of them came this evening... We have two prisoners regular out and out secessionists staying in the department one to help in the office the other to help in clothing department, the latter is a lawyer in Frankford Kentucky and owns half a plantation... the other is the flying Dutchman, a celebrated boxer."

In a letter dated March 21, 1862, he described poor weather that led to worse spirits, saying that "[i]t is raining as hard as it can pour now and has been all day. It is killing off the prisoners as fast as possible the poor fellows are in a bad state concerning their health. They can get a full set of clothes including undershirts and everything else, but about there [sic] health they don't fair as well the doctor don't care much I guess he thinks if he can't get south to kill them he will try his hand up here."

Judkins' frustrations are evident as he writes on that same day, "What the world is the matter with the folks that no one writes? Are all engaged in making my calico shirts? Or are all so busy with Beckie's school? Or what is the matter? I have not received a letter for nearly the week and if I don't have one pretty soon I'll stop writting [sic], and then thee will have a fit I expect or something of the kind. Now I think that will do for a scolding."

However, prison duty was not always boring and Judkins relayed all of the camp drama. On April 22, 1862, he debriefed his mother on the latest gossip involving a rebellious group of prisoners and a rowdy regiment of Irish soldiers. He wrote, in part, "Now about this row among the prisoners as the calls it, I will say that they have done great injustice to our Colonel, since these prisoners have been here, because he would not allow these newspaper editors to run about the camp and talk to the prisoners as much as they like why they are down on him, some of the men of the second Kentucky regiment got to throwing sticks and stones at the guards and into the guards tent, and struck one of the men on the knee and knocked him down. Then it was that the corporal of the relief drew his men up and ordered them to stop which they did not, then he ordered them to fire, there were four wounded, none of them very severely. The guards were very severely reprimanded by the Colonel. Now about this trouble in town, there is a Irish regiment here of some 100 to 200 men and they give us more trouble than a thousand prisoners would, they are always on some drunken spree or in some fight. They have no order in their regiment at all and they do just as they please pretty much with their officers but not with ours...well they got permission from the colonel (Owen) to take some men to town (this is a very common occurrence [sic], colonel Owen having received orders from Governor Morton to allow them this privilage [sic] these Irish soldiers took their men to town got drunk and let the prisoners do just as they pleased and go where they pleased, of course they went and got drunk like the rest and made a big wu [sic] in town and of course every one was down on Colonel Owen for allowing them to come to town, so thee sees what the fuss was about. Governor Morton has forbidden any one of the prisoners from go out side of guard lines hereafter and no one under a second lieutenant from coming in except on a pass from him."

In addition to Judkins' letters, this collection includes a printed broadside displaying the prison camp's rules. Number eleven insisted that "[e]very endeavor will be made by the Commandant to give each and every prisoner as much liberty and comfort as is consistent with orders received, and with an equal distribution of the means at disposal, provided such indulgence never leads to any abuse of the privileges."

Number nine made it very clear that Union guards would not hesitate to shoot any prisoners who stepped out of line, reading, "[p]risoners will carefully avoid interrupting sentinels in the discharge of their duty, and especially will not curse them, use abusive language or climb onto fences or trees, as the sentinels are ordered to fire if such an offense occurs after three positive and distinct orders to desist, even in day time. At night, only one warning will be given to any one climbing on the fence tops."

In total, the series of documents featured here offers a glimpse into the bleak conditions of Civil War prison camps experienced by guards and prisoners alike. Morton was the largest of the Union's eight prison camps during the Civil War. As Judkins makes clear, both guards and prisoners lived in dismal conditions and the death rate among captured rebels was high.

Condition: All documents creased along folds with intermittent ink showthrough. Light staining to left side recto of March 3, 1862 letter. "Third day 22nd 62" letter has a small open tear at the fold along the right margin. Minor open tear to the left margin of the April 25, 1862 letter, not affecting text. Toning and slight foxing on "seventh day" letter with minor separations at the center fold and two small closed tears at the top margin, not affecting text.

More Information: Additional Excerpts:
Before the regiment saw action on the battlefield, it performed guard duty at Camp Morton, Indiana. Judkins described the dismal living conditions for captured rebels and the apathy with which Union staff treated the men. On March 3, 1862, he wrote, "I do think the prisoners are the most miserable lazy set of men I think I ever saw. They are all large enough but then they are so poorly clad, each one just seemed to dress as he pleased some wore military clothes, such as they were but the most of them were clothed in their citizen dress which consisted of a yellow pair of pants and the same colored coat and vest and the most of them have a piece of carpet thrown on their shoulders in place of blankets and each of them seemed about as miserable as it were possible for them to be, all expected to be hung I supposed as soon as they got among the Yankees. We hant [sic] hung although we have come near shooting one or two."

In a letter dated March 21, 1862, he described poor weather that led to worse spirits, saying that "[i]t is raining as hard as it can pour now and has been all day. It is killing off the prisoners as fast as possible the poor fellows are in a bad state concerning their health. They can get a full set of clothes including undershirts and everything else, but about there [sic] health they don't fair as well the doctor don't care much I guess he thinks if he can't get south to kill them he will try his hand up here."

Judkins' frustrations are evident as he writes on that same day, "What the world is the matter with the folks that no one writes? Are all engaged in making my calico shirts? Or are all so busy with Beckie's school? Or what is the matter? I have not received a letter for nearly the week and if I don't have one pretty soon I'll stop writing [sic], and then thee will have a fit I expect or something of the kind. Now I think that will do for a scolding."

He continued, "Tell Willie that there was a little boy about his size and age that has had permission to go back home. He lives in Tennessee, he drove a wood team for the rebels and at the time of the surrender of Fort Donelson, and had to go along with the rest of the prisoners and when he reached here he represented his case to the Colonel and he has given him permission to leave and he did seem the happiest boy I have seen for sometime, a great deal more so than I am..."

While the official age of enlistment was eighteen for both sides in the Civil War, it is estimated that 250,000 to 420,000 soldiers under the age of 18 joined both the Union and Confederate forces. Young boys could participate in the war effort by working in non-combat roles, such as that of the young boy taken to Camp Morton.

In addition to Judkins' letters, this collection includes a printed broadside displaying the prison camp's rules. Number eleven insisted that "[e]very endeavor will be made by the Commandant to give each and every prisoner as much liberty and comfort as is consistent with orders received, and with an equal distribution of the means at disposal, provided such indulgence never leads to any abuse of the privileges."

However, number nine made it very clear that Union guards would not hesitate to shoot any prisoners who stepped out of line, reading, "[p]risoners will carefully avoid interrupting sentinels in the discharge of their duty, and especially will not curse them, use abusive language or climb onto fences or trees, as the sentinels are ordered to fire if such an offense occurs after three positive and distinct orders to desist, even in day time. At night, only one warning will be given to any one climbing on the fence tops."

Judkins expressed his disappointment to his mother in an undated letter received on March 8, 1862. He tried to make the best of it, mentioning a few notable prisoners. He wrote, in part, "Mother I have a good piece sic of news for thee however bad it may make me feel, I think we will stay here guarding the prisoners here until the war is over unless they exchange them for some of our men that they have taken which I can't think probable. We are fixing up the sheds around the camp and making a regular barracks of the place, and besides there is a thousand more prisoners coming here 140 of them came this evening...We have two prisoners regular out and out secessionists staying in the department one to help in the office the other to help in clothing department, the latter is a lawyer in Frankford Kentucky and owns half a plantation...the other is the flying Dutchman, a celebrated boxer."

However, prison duty was not boring and Judkins relayed all of the camp drama. On April 22, 1862, he debriefed his mother on the latest gossip involving a rebellious group of prisoners and a rowdy regiment of Irish soldiers. He wrote, in part, "Now about this row among the prisoners as the calls it, I will say that they have done great injustice to our Colonel, since these prisoners have been here, because he would not allow these newspaper editors to run about the camp and talk to the prisoners as much as they like why they are down on him, some of the men of the second Kentucky regiment got to throwing sticks and stones at the guards and into the guards tent, and struck one of the men on the knee and knocked him down. Then it was that the corporal of the relief drew his men up and ordered them to stop which they did not, then he ordered them to fire, there were four wounded, none of them very severely. The guards were very severely reprimanded by the Colonel. Now about this trouble in town, there is a Irish regiment here of some 100 to 200 men and they give us more trouble than a thousand prisoners would, they are always on some drunken spree or in some fight. They have no order in their regiment at all and they do just as they please pretty much with their officers but not with ours...well they got permission from the colonel (Owen) to take some men to town (this is a very common occurrence [sic], colonel Owen having received orders from Governor Morton to allow them this privilage [sic] these Irish soldiers took their men to town got drunk and let the prisoners do just as they pleased and go where they pleased, of course they went and got drunk like the rest and made a big wu [sic] in town and of course every one was down on Colonel Owen for allowing them to come to town, so thee sees what the fuss was about. Governor Morton has forbidden any one of the prisoners from go out side of guard lines hereafter and no one under a second lieutenant from coming in except on a pass from him."

These letters provide a light-hearted glimpse into the more amusing aspects of life at Camp Morton. Morton was the largest of the Union's eight prison camps during the Civil War. Guards and prisoners lived in bleak conditions and the death rate among captured rebels was high.