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[Civil War]. Small Archive Relating to Point Lookout....
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[Civil War]. Small Archive Relating to Point Lookout. A group of two letters and a Prisoner of War Certificate of Release, relating to the prisoner of war camp at Point Lookout. The first letter is four pages, 7.25" x 9.5", "Near Chaffins Bluff, Va"; December 3, 1864, and is from Confederate soldier Lt. Green D. Redwine of the 42nd North Carolina Infantry. In this letter to his sisters, Lt. Redwine tells of the army not allowing furlough passes, of young ladies from Richmond visiting the troops, and of the death of his cousin. His cousin, William R. Redwine of the 7th NC Infantry, had been a POW and died while being held at Point Lookout Prison. He explains, in part:"...I was very sorry indeed to hear of the death of Cousin W. R. Redwine. I always thought a great deal of Roby. I and him have played and hunted a many day together. I have often times thought of him since he has been in the Yankee prisons. Poor fellow now he is gone to be seen no more on Earth. I hope he has gone to a better world than this, to a world where there is no cry of war nor roar of cannon or musketry & where there is no night but where all is day & brightness light and happiness, & I sympathize with his bereaved father, mother & sisters...we are faring as well as can be expected under existing circumstances...G. D. Redwine".
Point Lookout had originally been a resort destination, but was seized by the government during the Civil War and converted into a military hospital. Officially named Camp Hoffman, it was later converted into a prison following the Battle of Gettysburg, when the Union needed space to house the thousands of Confederate soldiers captured. The prison originally held approximately 1,700 soldiers, but the population had swelled to near 20,000 by the end of the war. The overpopulation led to inadequate shelter and provisions for the men held there, and thousands died while incarcerated.
The second letter also references prisoners held at Point Lookout, this time from a young Southern woman, Annie, to her friend in Richmond. This letter is 8 pages, 4" x 6.75", Richmond; October 3, 1863, and is addressed to a Miss Lizzie S. Smith. The young woman relays the details of her brother's imprisonment at Point Lookout after being wounded in battle. It reads, in part:
"I have never heard from you since long before the Yankees took possession of your county, until some four weeks ago...Thank you for your inquiries after my dear brother, and expressions of sympathy. He was wounded in his right arm at Brandy Station in Culpeper on the 9th of June, and taken prisoner then. He was taken to Washington City where his arm was amputated from the shoulder joint on the 11th of the same month. He remained in W. two months, where he remained in the Lincoln Hospital & was well taken case of and kindly treated. But about two months ago he was removed to Point Lookout in Maryland where he was when last we heard from him. But we have not heard for nearly four weeks, and are very uneasy lest his health, which of course was much shattered by so severe a shock, should fail from prison fare and confinement. We have heard that the prisoners were in a very exposed condition at Point Lookout and very badly treated. We cannot tell, but have only to wait & hope & pray. He has been a prisoner nearly four months, and absent from home for six, so you can imagine how very anxious we are to see him...Cousin John is 1st Lieutenant in the Signal Corps and stationed in Smithville, N.C. Cousin Cyrus is in a Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither of them has been wounded at all - they have never been on field duty."
Accompanying these two letters is a P.O.W. Certificate, 7.75" x 5.5", which grants prisoner "A. McAvert" a release and discharge following taking the Oath of Allegiance. The certificate is dated June 15, 1865 and is stamped by A.G. Brady, Major and Provost Marshal. As well as this document, the group includes an unrelated receipt and a transmittal cover.
Condition: Lt. Redwine's letter is toned throughout and slightly faded. Both letters have usual mail folds and very light spots of soiling. The certificate is also moderately toned and has a few spots of soiling. It has flattened folds, and a few separations have occurred where paper was weakened at folds.
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