To Rob Hurling,

Camp Morton, IND and Camp Douglas,IL:
The Indianapolis archives has wonderful information and some records of Camp Morton. I found my g-gf name on the roll. He had just turned 18. The reason that I went there was to research Camp Morton was to see if he had been exchanged or escaped. The archives apparently did not know of the National Archives "exchange list" as they send me upstairs to the newspaper archives to read in the "daily living" section of the paper. They said "you may read where someone married or died and then the next paragraph may be that prisoners had escaped or had been recaptured." It is wonderful to read what was going on in everyday local life when the first Fort Donnelson, TN prisoners arrived. Apparently there was some Southern sympathy to the first men who arrived in poor condition after spending 3-4 days in trenches during the coldest weather that sent sleet, snow and of course, freezing temps. They opened a temporary hospital and women brought food, jellies, breads. Later, there was a newspaper article about the Southern boys were so hungry for cornbread and they even published 2 different recipes (batter and pone style) asking people to bring "corn bread' to the prisoners. People also brought jellies and etc for the POWs. To make this long story come to an end, I found no proof that my g-gf was exchanged, I just concluded that he was because I know that he was later with his unit. He was captured a second time just before the Battle of Atlanta and shipped to Camp Douglas, IL. He did survive his 11 month (July 1864-June 1865) ordeal, returned home to marry and have 5 children. They lived in the Midway Community SW of Vaiden. That is why I am here to write this letter! He was a Corporal in the 4 MS Infantry Company C, "Red Invincibles" from Holmes and Carroll County, MS. He died with a "fever" in 1880 at the young age of 36, leaving his young wife with 5 small children. His wife died in 1921, forty one years later. We think that he (George M. Red) is buried in the Vaiden MS Cemetery next to his wife Martha Jane Cain Red, at least that is where we placed his VA Confederate marker.

For Camp Douglas, IL, be sure to watch for the History Channel's special about "Eighty Acres of Hell." It has been on several times over the past year.

ACPeeples