Hi Frank:

You were puzzled by my statement: >>>The Federal troops present at Camp Douglas when the decision to send the POWs there was made were unarmed, but that was quickly rectified before the Confederate POWs arrived.<<<

The Arkansas Post POWs arrived in February 1863, not February 1862. Camp Douglas was apparently "Reb free" from September 1862 until February 1863.

This comment about the unarmed Federal troops at Camp Douglas in January 1863 is based upon two pieces of correspondence preserved in the Official Records. The specific quote I used comes from Federal Captain J. A. Potter, Assistant Quartermaster in Chicago. He was writing to Colonel William Hoffman on 23 JAN 1863 in response apparently to Hoffman's query about how many of the Arkansas Post prisoners Camp Douglas could handle. Captain Potter wrote: "Camp Douglas will accommodate 300 wounded and 3,000 to 4,000 well prisoners. The troops there are without arms but requisition has been made for a supply.” [OR, Series II, Volume 5, p 207]

Major N. H. McLean, Assistant Adjutant-General & Chief of Staff, Department of Ohio, wrote from Cincinnati to Colonel Hoffman on 24 JAN 1863: "Will arms for the regiments at Camp Douglas be sent from Washington?" [OR, Series II, Volume 5, p 209]

On 5 FEB 1863, [Colonel?] Robert Allen, Chief Quartermaster at Saint Louis wrote to Quartermaster-General Meigs: "All the Arkansas prisoners have been sent to Chicago [Camp Douglas] and Springfield [Camp Butler], Illinois. The 4,00 sent to Chicago [Camp Douglas] cost $9,000 less than the conventional price [for railroad and steamboat transportation], being carried for 1 1/3 cents per mile." [OR, Series II, Volume 5, p. 241]

The prisoners accumulated throughout the Union army prison system in the winter, spring, and summer of 1862 were paroled and delivered to Confederate authorities in July, August and September 1862. The prisons were emptied. After that, captured POWs were by and large paroled and delivered to their own side within ten days, or as soon as practicable. There were some notable short term exceptions. Confederate POWs captured at Antietam and South Mountain spent 14 days at Fort Delaware before being delivered to Confederate authorities at Aiken’s Landing in Virginia in early October 1862. Confederate prisoners captured at Murphreesborough (Stones River) on 31 DEC 1862 were sent by rail to Baltimore, then by water to City Point, and delivered on or about 15 FEB 1863. The prisoners captured at Arkansas Post on 11 JAN 1863 were held from 8 FEB 1863 until about 31 MAR 1863 at Camp Douglas – a total of perhaps 50 days +/- and a total of 85+/- days from date of capture [11 JAN 1863] to the final delivery date [10 APR 1863] at City Point. Apparently no monthly prison returns were filed from Camp Douglas from October 1862 until January 1863. A return was filed for Camp Douglas for February 1863 showing that there were no prisoners were on hand 31 JAN 1863. Camp Douglas received 3,884 POWs during the month of February. Of that number, 387 died, 6 escaped, and 51 were released, presumably upon taking the Oath of allegiance during February. Mysteriously, no return was filed from Camp Douglas for March 1863. See the abstracts presented in OR, Series II, Volume 8, pp 986-1003.

I know it is hard to believe that there was ever a break in the prison time line, because the story never gets told that way, but there was. The critical provision of the Dix-Hill Cartel was that prisoners of war were to be paroled and delivered to their own sides within ten days of capture, or as soon as practicable thereafter. This was a life saver for many boys in Blue and Gray from August 1862 until July 1863. “As soon as practicable” for the Arkansas Post POWs turned out to be nearly 90 days, but that was better than being held until the end of the war. Provisions of the Dix-Hill Cartel can be found in OR, Series II, Volume 4, pp. 266-268.

And by the way - thank you for your interest in this arcane subject!!

Hugh