I Fear I Shall Never Leave This IslandLife in a Civil War Prison

Abstract

There was no standard treatment for prisoners-of-war (POW) during the American Civil War by either the Union or the Confederacy. Each side struggled with the incarceration and civilized treatment of former citizens captured and utilized various types of facilities for housing prisoners. The Johnson's Island Civil War Prison was designed by the Union as a stand-alone facility to house both officers and enlisted men in a humane yet practical manner, and over 10,000 Confederate officers were taken there between April 1862 and September 1865. Their stay could be as short as several weeks to over two years. This book is the story of one prisoner, Wesley Makely, as he struggled with all the unknowns associated with surviving imprisonment. Letters written between Wesley, and Kate, his wife, chronicled his drive for survival. The recovery of archaeological materials and other historical accounts provide an in-depth context for their dialogue. This concentration of Confederate officers, representing the finest and most educated the South had to offer, provides a rich historical record and the very diverse cultural material assemblage used in the interpretation of these letters. The in-depth study of Wes Makely's experiences at Johnson's Island provides an understanding of how imprisonment affects the incarcerated and how each individual attempts to cope with the loss of freedom in unique ways. Finally, the inhumanity that plagued POW treatment during the U.S. Civil War, justified by retaliatory or revengeful acts and viewed from this individual account, is challenged in the final chapter.