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Accession no.
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WPA L. C. PROJECT
Form -3
-Arall1.4) UNIT
12643
Date received
/0//0 fahie)
Consignent no.
Shipped from
&di).
Label
Amount
43-fv.
Collection (or Type)
Place of originLiZ ng/• Dated-U.5/kt_
„.1,iA.I.
Project worker C/. 14/nalleti
Project editor
Remarks
Tippecanoe County
Special Assignment
Cecil C. biller
District i 3.
Porgetten Chapter in Lafayette's Civil War
History Drought to Light
References Laffootte Journal Courier, April 23* 1938
Rebel Prisoners in Cityi Story of Hospital
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fIJF-SP
In its prime one of the imposing structures ce Lafkattes earlier
days, the greying threeiostory business building at 20941 South Street re...
mains as a nearly forgotten monument to an interesting chapter of the
sity's Civil War history about which little has been written. In this
building, now 81 years old, a hospital for rebel prisoners sent to the
city was raintained for several weeks during the late 'tinter of 1282.
They had been captured in the battle at rort Denelson which resulted in
a major victory for the Union army.
Between 10,000 and 180000 prisoners were taken ft d 6,000 of ter were
mint to Indianapolis which was not able to take ears of the great number.
Lafeyette, Richmond and Terre haute agreed to accept from 800 to 1,000
each. The 800 sent to Lafayette remained quartered in the city for nearly
a month. That was 76 years ago. Except for the old South Street building*
known as the Walsh block, most vestiges of the Civil Mr incident have
long since disappeared.
Leeal newspapers of 1862 (The Journal, Courier and Argus) gave detail*
of the prisoners' arri-al and additional inforretion 'as been obtained from
government records and older residents, although there is not a little
eentradiotion in the different stories.
Prisoners Arrive
It was on sunday„ February 23, 1h62 that the prisoners arrived, 806 or
that according to the newspaper accounts, this number including several
12643
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"contrabands" (slaves brought into the Union lines). Several days later a
roll call of the "Secesh" as the rebels were called, showed 712 prisoners.
Prisoners who died here were buried in Oreenbuth eemetery, were their
graves mey still be found in a row, marked by small, pointed marble stones,
in the extreme north-west *corner, along Greenbush Street. There are 28 or
these stones, although a newspaper account, under date of March 31, 1862, st
states that 33 prisoners died.
During the greater part of their stay, the prisoners' barracks were
located in the samje porkhouse„ whieh later became the Uryfus Packing plant,
in the south-west part of the city. The sick were kept in Valsh's hall and
also in the hospital of Tippecanoe camp, near the Junction, south of the
city, where Union soldiers were recruited and drilled.
Business Men Act
Arriving Feb. 23, all the prisoners except those in hospitals, were
taken back to Indianapolis, )arch 16, 1662, thus remaining here approximately
three weeks. Nolespapers end other solirceE do not reveal how long a hospital
for sick prisoners was operated here. The last death of a prisoner was
recorded April 28, and another reliable source indicates that medieal aerviee
for thornless provided two monthe and 10 to 12 days.
After it VILO learned that some or the prisonea might be sent here,
Lafayette business men met, Fri ay evening, February 21, 1862, and tom,*
misted a movement to obtain custody of a contingent of them. A committee
mode up of Loses Fowler, T. T. Tienbridge, R. C. Gregory, G. S. Orth and
N. C. Dodge, was appointed to go to Indianapolis and lay the matter before
governor 11.orton. This vies done the next day, Saburday, the governor agree-
ing to send 800 of the w4eoesh" here.
The city then began making hasty preparations to receive and quarter
the prisoners. &tr.& newspaper editions told the new* and issued appeals
for donations of food; the appeal was repeated the next morning in churches.
The response was generous. The sheriff's office was soon filled with baskets,
and the guard room of the jail also soon filled, providing enough to feed
the prisoners bountifully (if unwidely, as it turned out), for several day*.
The special train carrying the prisoners was due to arrive at 5 pa.,
but a crowd began gathering about the South Street station as early as two.
The vicinity was crowded, wan predominating, despite universal mud.
Thorntown Cyril, one of the city's early and well known characters, amused
the throng by reciting one of his thrilling poems, "closing with a glowing
eulogy on the life and character of the Pilgrim Fathers."
The train, over the Lafayette and Indianapolis, now the Big Four, was
made up of 21 or 22 passenger and freight ears. Troops, acting as guards,
held back the people and cleared a path which extended from the station,
along ins towpath of the "nabash and Eris canal, to the old Red warehouse,
which has been hurriedly fitted up for tne prisoners,
Many Young ken
kost of the prisoners were young men; pale, beardless boys, some
under seventemm4 members of the 52nd and 41st Tennessee regiments. They
had served but four and onenhalf months. Few were in uniforms, most
wearing butternut jeans. All carried huge bundles, containing blankets,
stets and many had old fashioned skillets of the hoe eake pattern.
Tne Red 'warehouse, w ore the prisoners were first taken, was at the
foot of Chestnnt ntreet, on the east side of the canal and near the present
strawboard plant. The building!: was called "Red" because of its color,
according to Llehael Tigues nonagenarlans who rerembers the prisoner*.
It was owned by W. K. Rochester, grandfather of Rochester Nardi, local
attorney, wno was a leading business man of the city then; a number of
city subndivisions still retain his name.
4
The need of larger cparters was at ones evidet, and the prism:ere
were moved in a few days to the Sample porkhouse„ owned by H. T, Sample,
Req.
Provide Yospital
..any of the prisoners had severe colds, and 12 or 14 were seriously
ill upon their arrival. The widespread illness along them we. explained
a little later b a prisoner, in a published statement. He related that
they had suffered twenty days of unparalleled exposure and hardships before
and after their eapture.
This eondition sug,weted immediate steps to provide hospitaliSation4
A number of women, calling to their assistance Yr. Benbridge and J. B.
Palley, with the ooneent of Col. John S. Williams, commanding officer of the
63rd regirent„ guarding the prie..mers, rented the *large and commodious
rooms known as walshos hall, now at 2P9.11 South Street, for a hospital.
The room quickly was fitted with beds. The executive sommittee of women
handling this matter was made up of Lts. Lewis ?alley, Miss Fields Stock.
well, and Vre. Dr. Q.L. Clark.
Doctor Reports
Dr. Thomas Chtstnut was appointed by the citizens' eosmittee as
physician and surreon for the sick. It seems he had sore difficulty
*collecting from the government for his services, and so it is we have a
letter he wrote later to Capt. E. Free0y, of the ird Infantry,
polio, pressing his claim and giving informations/Itch other sourees do net
reveal. The letter is now a part of official government records dealing
with the War of the Rebellion. He points out in his letter Cat a majority
of prisoners were attacked by sump diarrhea, and tat typhoid and pneumonia,
in the most velignant fors, then broke out. He continues that Tippecanoe
hospital and Ve hospital in Yialshis hall were opened Pb. 25, and both were
5
filled immediately.
Dr. Chestnut wrote that a list we. lost a little later when he went
to the battlefield of Corinth to help eare for Union soldiers. The first
month, he wrote, would average "150 patients per days the second, 50 to 80
per day, and the last 10 or 12 days, not more than 10.* This is the only
reference found as to how long the sick prisoners may have remained here.
On Feb. 28 there were 29 patients in the South Street hospital. Dr.
D. T. Yeahel„ a local physician, in a published letter, states that this
hospital had a capacity of 70. James Warden was the first prisoner to die,
on Vert& ill Rev. Milian Graham, of the Fifth Street U. E. Churl*, con.
ducted burial ~risme in Greenbush.
The war department, in 1911, compiled a list of prisoners buried in
Green bush, a copy ofseAch is an file today in the cemetery's office,
amsording to R. S. Aeheson, superintendent. The tombstones bear the
simple inseriptionl 'UN Y (S)W (C.S. A. meaning, Confederate
States of Americus.)
All did not run smoothly for to south street hospital. The city
council, at a meeting Larch 10, had complaints from residents of the
vicinity holding the hospital a nuisance. Aweek later the council had a
report that the .;outh Street hospital had been abandoned. The patients had
probably bee,: moved to Tippecanoe °amp hospAal.
Walsh RAIding
The Walsh building, a pretentious one for its day, carries a tablet
between third story windows, with this inscriptions "SRICTED 1857
Welsh." In 1862 it was in the center of the business district. A short
distaive east, at the south.east Isomer of Third and Synth, les the Dimmable
House, leading hostelry of the day, and on another corner erns the Jones House,
also popular. Across tre street from 74sleh hall we. the residence of Tag,
Banbridge, grandfather of Jr. R. B. Wither/11. On Boland Street, a little
south, Dr. William kayo had an office and practised two years during this
periods then he ImptA to Rochester, Minn., where he estailished the famous
clinic still bearing his names
Lafayette's first city directory, published for IJi58.49, lists Y. k.
Walsh as a grocer and provision dealer, on the south side of South Street,
between Ohio (Third) and Wabash (Second). His resideree was given at the
same address. Later directories give the name as Welsh, although at the
some address; this spelling was also used in Dr. Chestnut's letter. Wi*h..
out doubt, however, sub and Welsh were the same man.
Aecording to Allter J. Ball, retired Lafeyette banker and authority
on early city history, Mr. Walsh was a prominent demoeratic leader of the
city in his day. Walah's hall, probably the same room used for the
hospital, was often used for party rallies and was the starting point for
many torchlight parades. The property on which it is located has had many
owners, including John Purdue, according to Janos M. Sharp, of the Mitchell
agency. M. M. and Margaret Walsh owned it from 1857 to 1890, and it has
been owned by August Ooepp, Rensselaer, since 1919.
Mr. litosh was t,..a grandfather of R. 0. smith, Jr., member of the City
school board and popular business man,
The Barracks
Older residents do not agree as to the location of the main barraoke
for the prisoners, although records say the Sanple porkhouse. Records ales
state that the 40th regiment used the saLs quarters. Ferdinand Jackson,
911„ West Lafayette Civil War veteran, and a resident of the county Sineft
1855„ confirms the published statements, stating the prisoners and also
the 40th were quartered in arisit was a cooperage and storage room of the
Sample porkhouse. Mr. Jackson recalls visiting an uncle who was a meiber
7 a.
of the 40th, in this building, and also states that he otos visited the
rebels, at the same place. Others say this was a rough frame building, and
Mr. Jackson says dsyliffit Gould be seen between oreOls in the toerde.
John Collins, employed at Cho Dryfus plant over SO years and now a
Watchman there, recalls the i7 lding to which ii'. Jackson refers. It
stood on the =sot site of the present cold storage plant, a part of the
Dryfus establishment, and was torn down about 1902, he states.
Scandals in Camp
Lafayette had its own serndals in connection with the prisoners.
April 7 an order was issued barring women from serving in t,e hospitals
after there had been complaints they/11MT. sympathising too mush with the
rebel sentiments of the prisoners. The escape April 29, of William Mara,
brought this situation to a head. A grand jury (i0hese members had an
average of six children) is reported to have questioned six or eight ladies
with referenoe to the escape, but el1cited nothing of value, The jury,
asking instructions of Judge Test, }Anted other scandals, sue): as citizens
holding private conferences wit prisoners in ti-leLr ofrices, and prisoners
dining and vieWng in local homes without guards.
Cemetery Markers
Sleeping beside the rebel prisoners in Dreenbush cemetery, in an
unbroken row, are 22 'Union soldiers, whose graves arc marked by stones
with round tops, contrasting to the pointed stones over the Confederates*
These Union soldiers were killed in a wreak, Oat. 21, 1864, when a pas-
senger and cattle train collided near (haver, now Crane t:tatien„ eight
miles south-east of Lafayette* Thirty were killed. The derd and injured
were brought to the Jones House, across from walsh's hallo and those
unolaimed were bur;sed in Oreenbush.
8 et
Thus, nearly 80 years later, Vie old Walsh hall still stands as a
memorial of that days in Greenbush *mastery, 50 boys of the Blue and of
the Gray, foes in te war of 1861.45„ still sleep hide by sides many
miles from VI, Beene* wlere teir embattled brarti-ren saw action under their
respective banners.