Harpers* Ferry Cowards - 111th paroled to Camp Douglas, Sept. 1862

The expression “to see the elephant” during the Civil War meant to go into battle for the first time and to be exposed to artillery fire and rifle shots, which the men of the 111^th experienced in mid-September 1862. Their involvement in the defense of Harpers Ferry was to provide men for picket duty, participating in skirmishes and battle lines where they were exposed to artillery and rifle fire.  The afternoon of September 13 found the men drilling at Camp Hill before being ordered to guard the pontoon bridge over the Potomac River that evening. After an uneventful evening, they returned late to camp while artillery battles were being fought on Maryland Heights.

On the 14^th, the men rose at 4:00 AM and were ordered to get rations for 24 hours, pack their haversacks and be ready for action while remaining in camp. At noon they ate crackers and had coffee. By one o'clock in the afternoon the Rebs started shelling the camp, and the men were ordered to move behind the hill and lay on the ground while they were exposed to artillery fire. Later the men were repositioned to the bottom of Bolivar Heights where they exchanged fire with the Confederates. 

The men remained there overnight and woke up at five o'clock the following morning. They maintained their position but Colonel Segoine ordered them to wait for a surrender. The regiment had lost six men killed, six wounded and a number captured or missing in action during these three days of fighting. The men were not happy with the surrender and felt betrayed by the senior officers who made that decision. Several diaries tell that the men were not ready to give up the fight and wanted to continue. One junior officer was mad enough to draw his saber and threaten a more senior officer. Colonel Segoine intervened to prevent any blows.

The opposing Generals met to agree on terms of surrender. As was the custom at this early point in the war, the captured Union soldiers would be paroled and not take up arms again until exchanged for Confederate prisoners. Some 10,000 Union soldiers were soon on their way to parole camps. The men stacked their rifles, stowed their personal items and packed as much food as they could for their upcoming journey. The Confederates returned all the Union prisoners and wounded to Union care and it was recorded that the 111^th men were well treated by the men of the South. Later, there would be much finger-pointing, investigations and a hearing into the poor performance of the senior Union officers which resulted in the surrender. Unfortunately, all the regiments involved were labeled the "Harpers Ferry Cowards" but many of them lived to redeem that unfair nickname, which they did at Gettysburg.

The morning of the 16^th the men were up at four o'clock in the morning preparing for the 16-mile march to Frederick City, MD as the first leg of their journey. Once in Frederick City, they joined the other parolees also marching, before finally arriving by train in Annapolis, MD. Speculation was rampant about their final destination: whether it would be back to Camp Cayuga in Auburn, heading to Texas to fight Indians, simply being released from service, or, as it turned out, going to a parole camp. Orders were finally received detailing their route to Camp Douglas near Chicago. 

Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois

On Sept 24^th many of the men experienced their first steamship ride as they boarded the John Tucker and City of Norwich to cross the Chesapeake Bay. Once in Baltimore, they boarded another train to Camp Douglas in the Windy City on the shores of Lake Michigan. The train stopped several places along the way and the men were treated well by the citizens who gave them food much better than normal army fare of hardtack, salt pork and sometimes coffee. While the food may have been good, the train ride was not since many rode in cattle cars with no seats or bathrooms. The lack of facilities made the journey difficult, and many were sick with dysentery. While they were cheered at many stops, it was a sad trip as they realized their destination would be a long way from their homes in Wayne and Cayuga Counties. 

Steamboat at Harpers Ferry

  The men arrived on September 27 at Camp Douglas, more recently a prisoner camp for Confederates. In letters to their mothers and wives, the men described it as a nice place; however, when writing their fathers, brothers and male friends, they more accurately described it as a dirty rat-infested place. The first order of business was to clean and rebuild the barracks. There had been significant destruction by the Confederate prisoners before leaving and this, coupled with the general lack of maintenance, presented challenges. The men now had to make it a livable place; cleaning, replacing mattresses, rebuilding bunks, doors and roofing. While life was better than they might experience in the field, it was still over 700 miles from loved ones in cramped quarters with an unknown future. Given the close quarters and the lack of understanding about how diseases were caused or spread, sickness was a major issue. There was a hospital but medical science was a far cry from today.

It was a little over a month since they volunteered to fight for their country. They had traveled over 2,000 miles, when prior to then, a 30-mile trip was considered a long. They had marched hundreds of miles and, for most, experienced their first train and steamship rides. They just barely had time to learn army discipline and fighting techniques, and they already saw friends and family members shot and wounded. This was only the beginning of two months at Camp Douglas as the men awaited their exchange and their return to war.

*The proper spelling is Harpers Ferry, without an apostrophe. Although it was originally spelled "Harper's Ferry," the United States Board on Geographic Names removed the apostrophe in 1891.