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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02237 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1863 |
| Title | Alexander W. Campbell writing to "My Dear Father" from prison at Johnson's Island as a prisoner of war |
| Date | 12 December 1863 |
| Author | Campbell, Alexander W. (1828-1893) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Campbell, a Confederate general taken as a prisoner of war, writes from prison at Johnson's Island. Mentions suffering and deprivation due to the poor conditions and requests clothing. " ... Send me a suit of winter clothes with change of many undergarments ... There will be a great deal of suffering among those who occupy the larger open buildings in the lower blocks of the prison ... We have pretty much abandoned all hope of a speedy exchange and we will plan ... for a long gloomy and tedious term of imprisonment. Since all prospect of being exchanged has been extinguished. There is a good deal of sickness here and quite a number of deaths ... " Reports that his health is good and he should be able to manage the winter fine. Discusses family members and friends. Campbell was captured at Lexington, Tennessee in July 1863 and was not exchanged until February 1865. He then commanded a brigade in General W. H. Jackson's division of General Forrest's corps until the surrender. Campbell was promoted to full brigadier general of volunteers at the end of the war. He had been wounded at Shiloh and in July of 1863 captured at Lexington, Tennessee while on mission to oversee elections and recruit troops. |
| Subjects | Civil War Military History Confederate General or Leader Confederate States of America Confederate Soldier's Letter Soldier's Letter Prisoner of War Prison Camp Health and Medical Death |
| People | Campbell, Alexander W. (1828-1893) |
| Place written | Johnson's Island, Ohio |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Law; Health & Medicine |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Campbell was captured at Lexington, Tennessee in July 1863 and was not exchanged until February 1865. He then commanded a brigade in General W. H. Jackson's division of General Forrest's corps until the surrender. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Civil War: Recipient Relationship | Father |