The Civil War Prisons Message Board

Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker

Hello Edie:

I read your postings here and on the Arkansas CWMB.

The Dix-Hill Cartel was still being honored in the spring of 1863, and the Arkansas Post POWs were paroled for exchange and delivered to Confederate authorities at City Point, Virginia. I found references in the OR Series II to them being held in a parole camp near Petersburg, Virginia in the spring of 1863 awaiting exchange. Upon being declared exchange, they should have been shipped back to the Trans-Mississippi to return to their commands. Some may have been given the opportunity of transferring to the 1st Arkansas Infantry while at Petersburg, but that is pure speculation on my part. Many Arkansas troops captured at Champion Hill and Big Black Bridge in May 1863 were paroled for exchange and delivered from Fort Delaware to City Point on 6 JUL 1863. Confederate authorities eventually sent these men home to Arkansas on furlough.

Very few Arkansas Post captives appear in the Fort Delaware Society database.

I did not find the name “James J. SHOEMAKER” in the Fort Delaware Society database but did find brief entries for a (1) Private A. M. SHOEMAKER, Company A, 1st Arkansas (Infantry or Cavalry not stated) and a (2) Private A. S. SHOEMAKER, Company A, 1st Arkansas (Infantry or Cavalry not stated) who have Fort Delaware hospital admission and discharge records. These hospital dates ranged from 18 JUL 1864 until 8 JUN 1865 when AMS was released from the Fort Delaware hospital. I’m told that the microfilm transfer records from which this information was extracted were faded and hard to read, but we know that the 1st Arkansas Infantry was part of the Army of Northern Virginia from start to finish and it would make sense that 1st Arkansas POWs captured in 1864 would have been brought to Fort Delaware. We do not have the Compiled Military Service Records of these two men which would tell us more about their date and place of enrollment, etc.

I checked the National Park Service’s Soldiers and Sailors System (Index to the CMSR). Surprisingly, there are no men surnamed “SHOEMAKER” listed in any of the four Arkansas units (regiments or battalions) designated the 1st Arkansas. There are 25 men surnamed “SHOEMAKER” attributed to Arkansas in the NPS Index. Ambrose M., Asbury, and E. M. SHOEMAKER all appear enrolled in Company A, 37th Arkansas Infantry. According to Crute’s Unit History, the 37th Arkansas Infantry lost more than half of its men at Helena, Arkansas, a battle fought on 4 JUL 1863. Since the Confederates attacked a Union defensive position in this engagement, the number of captured Confederate POWs should have been relatively small. I thought that as part of Grant’s command, they would have been released on parole near Helena. However, the Society database contains an entry for one private from the 37th Arkansas Infantry (Private J. F. Peters, Company E), who was captured at Helena on July 4th, 1863. He appears to have arrived in the spring of 1864 from a western POW camp and died of scurvy on 1 MAY 1864 at Fort Delaware. He is buried in Finns Point National Cemetery.

Relative to Privates A. M. SHOEMAKER, and A. S. SHOEMAKER, I can not explain the discrepancy between the Society database information and the NPS’ Index to the CMSR. I think we need Bryan Howerton’s help!

Hugh Simmons
Fort Delaware Society
http:www.del.net/org/fort

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Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
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Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker
Re: Arkansas Post, & James J Shoemaker