Cahaba Prison
Encyclopedia
Cahaba Prison, also known as Castle Morgan, was a prisoner of war
camp in Alabama
where the Confederacy
held captive Union
soldiers during the American Civil War
. The prison was located in the small Alabama town of Cahaba
, at the confluence of the Alabama
and Cahaba
Rivers, not far from Selma
.
minister.
The prison took advantage of an existing structure, built in 1860 as a brick cotton warehouse on Arch Street, above the banks of the Alabama River. This structure covered approximately 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and was surrounded by a larger wooden stockade when converted into a prison. It was intended for only approximately 500 prisoners, but its population had grown to 660 by August 1864. When Union General Ulysses S. Grant
suspended the practice of prisoner exchange with the Confederacy the numbers began to soar. By October 1864 the prison’s numbers had swelled to 2,151, they had grown to over 3,000 by March 1865.
Of the two men in charge Captain Howard A. M. Henderson was “remembered with kindly wishes…It was often in the power of Henderson to extend kindnesses and courtesies to prisoners, and we are glad to note that the opportunity was not infrequently embraced.” But in describing Lieutenant-Col. Samuel Jones, “we find one whose record was a sickening blotch upon humanity...The relations between Jones and Henderson were never cordial, and at times were quite unfriendly. It was urged by one or two of the guards that Jones, when not drunk, was less brutal then he would ordinarily seem; but unfortunately for the poor wretches whose very lives depended on his moods, he was never seen by us except when intoxicated.”
Jacob Rush of the 3rd Ohio Cavalry enlisted at age 15 having lied about his age. He was captured as a spy, met with General Nathan Bedford Forrest and sent to Cahaba Prison, arriving on October 13, 1864. While there he met Captain Hanchette and helped organize an escape attempt. They were successful in capturing the guards, but the demoralized condition of the prisoners made the necessary show of strength and courage impossible. The attempt failed, reinforcements came from the town and the prisoners were charged with conspiracy. Captain Hanchette refused to give up the names of the men involved and none of the other prisoners did either. They were kept four days without rations. Jacob Rush and Jesse Hawes M. D. provided first-hand accounts of the prison, the conditions, and the escape attempt.
Captain Hanchette was to be exchanged for a Confederate general confined at Vicksburg. Rush reported that Colonel Jones, who both hated and feared his victim, selected two villainous men to act as his guard, and gave them instructions to find some excuse for shooting him while going from Cahaba to Selma. “Captain Hanchette was taken forth from the dark dungeon, his strong frame so reduced that he was scarcely able, even under the stimulus of hope, to stand, placed in the custody of the assassins, and started toward Selma. He was shot down in cold blood before he was a mile from town, a fate perfectly in accord with a confinement rarely paralleled in the bounds of any civilized country in the nineteenth century.
The regional district commander, Lt. Col. Samuel Jones, negotiated an exchange of Union prisoners from Cahaba for captured Confederates, with the prison being evacuated in March 1865. The actual exchange would take place at Vicksburg, Mississippi
in April 1865, after a long and arduous journey by the prisoners. Ironically, many of these freed prisoners perished in the subsequent Sultana
disaster.
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
where the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
held captive Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldiers during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The prison was located in the small Alabama town of Cahaba
Cahaba, Alabama
Cahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825. It is now a ghost town and state historic site. The site is located in Dallas County, southwest of Selma.-Capital:...
, at the confluence of the Alabama
Alabama River
The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery.The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it unites with the Tombigbee, forming the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, which discharge into...
and Cahaba
Cahaba River
The Cahaba River is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. The Cahaba River is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River Basin...
Rivers, not far from Selma
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
.
History
The Cahaba Prison was opened as such in June 1863. The commanding officer was Captain H. A. M. Henderson, a MethodistMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
minister.
The prison took advantage of an existing structure, built in 1860 as a brick cotton warehouse on Arch Street, above the banks of the Alabama River. This structure covered approximately 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and was surrounded by a larger wooden stockade when converted into a prison. It was intended for only approximately 500 prisoners, but its population had grown to 660 by August 1864. When Union General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
suspended the practice of prisoner exchange with the Confederacy the numbers began to soar. By October 1864 the prison’s numbers had swelled to 2,151, they had grown to over 3,000 by March 1865.
Of the two men in charge Captain Howard A. M. Henderson was “remembered with kindly wishes…It was often in the power of Henderson to extend kindnesses and courtesies to prisoners, and we are glad to note that the opportunity was not infrequently embraced.” But in describing Lieutenant-Col. Samuel Jones, “we find one whose record was a sickening blotch upon humanity...The relations between Jones and Henderson were never cordial, and at times were quite unfriendly. It was urged by one or two of the guards that Jones, when not drunk, was less brutal then he would ordinarily seem; but unfortunately for the poor wretches whose very lives depended on his moods, he was never seen by us except when intoxicated.”
Jacob Rush of the 3rd Ohio Cavalry enlisted at age 15 having lied about his age. He was captured as a spy, met with General Nathan Bedford Forrest and sent to Cahaba Prison, arriving on October 13, 1864. While there he met Captain Hanchette and helped organize an escape attempt. They were successful in capturing the guards, but the demoralized condition of the prisoners made the necessary show of strength and courage impossible. The attempt failed, reinforcements came from the town and the prisoners were charged with conspiracy. Captain Hanchette refused to give up the names of the men involved and none of the other prisoners did either. They were kept four days without rations. Jacob Rush and Jesse Hawes M. D. provided first-hand accounts of the prison, the conditions, and the escape attempt.
Captain Hanchette was to be exchanged for a Confederate general confined at Vicksburg. Rush reported that Colonel Jones, who both hated and feared his victim, selected two villainous men to act as his guard, and gave them instructions to find some excuse for shooting him while going from Cahaba to Selma. “Captain Hanchette was taken forth from the dark dungeon, his strong frame so reduced that he was scarcely able, even under the stimulus of hope, to stand, placed in the custody of the assassins, and started toward Selma. He was shot down in cold blood before he was a mile from town, a fate perfectly in accord with a confinement rarely paralleled in the bounds of any civilized country in the nineteenth century.
The regional district commander, Lt. Col. Samuel Jones, negotiated an exchange of Union prisoners from Cahaba for captured Confederates, with the prison being evacuated in March 1865. The actual exchange would take place at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
in April 1865, after a long and arduous journey by the prisoners. Ironically, many of these freed prisoners perished in the subsequent Sultana
Sultana (steamboat)
The SS Sultana was a Mississippi River steamboat paddlewheeler whose destruction in an explosion on April 27, 1865 was the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of the Sultanas 2,400 passengers were killed when three of the ship's four boilers exploded and the...
disaster.
Conditions
R. H. Whitfield, the prison surgeon, reported unhygienic conditions at the camp, citing the lack of a sanitary water supply. The warehouse building had one fireplace and only 432 bunk spaces. Despite all of this, the death rate was extremely low in comparison to most other Civil War prison camps, Confederate and Union. Federal and Confederate records indicate that between 142 and 147 men died at Cahaba Prison.See also
- List of Civil War POW Prisons and Camps