Hell Holes, Not Prisons
Updated: Aug 31
Abstract: Following the men that are captured and housed at Libby Prison. Many of the 111th POWs died. The Union military awaits the results of the 1864 presidential election.
Original written by siblings George & Deb McGraw, November 2023. Revised and edited by Erika Newcombe, Deb Hall, and Oliver Groom, August 2026.
On October 30, 1864, 87 men were captured while on picket duty at Petersburg. The following day, they found themselves in front of a Confederate general who ordered them to turn in their overcoats, blankets, and, in some cases, shoes. Later that day, they found themselves paraded through the Southern capital of Richmond. At one point when asked who they were, one proudly quipped, “Madam, we are General Grant’s advance on Richmond.”
The men soon found themselves housed at Libby Prison, where they were reunited with others from the 111th who had been previously captured. We are fortunate to have several documents from Pvt. Robert L. Drummond who joined the regiment on September 4, 1864, 56 days before his capture. He later wrote about their time at Libby, “… here we commenced the process of starvation that was soon to swell our death toll.”
The 111th men remained at the overcrowded Libby Prison for less than a week until they, along with men from other regiments, were marched to the rail yard to start their journey to the hell hole they came to know as Salisbury Prison in North Carolina. Salisbury was designed to hold 2,000 POWs when the 111th arrived, but there were close to 9,000 with fewer than 300 tents and no barracks to house the men.
Drummond, who survived the war to become a prominent lawyer, later described the inmates options as “… remain outdoors or dig holes in the ground in which to stay. To adopt the former course was sure death at no distant date; the latter was just as sure, but the process of dissolution was not quite so rapid. In company with four others of my regiment it was my lot to make choice of the two terrible evils.” He and his four friends decided to dig.
He added, “We built that tenement with a piece of broken case knife and the hands that Nature had given us. The process was slow, but the emergency was great and in due time the work was accomplished.”
Pvt. Charles M. Green, who joined the regiment on September 3, 1864, helped dig the hole in the ground but did not survive his time as a prisoner; he died of starvation at age 23/24 in February 1865. Drummond had buried Charles on the grounds of the prison.
Sgt. Daniel Hutchins and his fellow POWs left Andersonville on September 13, 1864, for their journey to Florence, SC. They spent the period from September 15-October 4 at the Washington Race Course in Charleston, SC, where conditions were no better than at Andersonville.
Hutchins wrote on October 2: “We got a part of our rations today but not all that they pretend to allow us They don’t allow enough to keep soul & body together & want to cheat us out of half of that the inhumane wretches, Oh if our people could only know how we suffer they might send us food & clothing.”
On the 4th, he wrote, “We very unexpectedly left for Florence A poor prisoner fell off of the cars & was shot by 4 or 5 of the guards, poor soul. We arrived at Florence at dark & laid out side of the Bull Pen.”
The next day, he wrote, “warm & pleasant all day we marched in the Bull Pen after we had been paraded around & counted. The Bull Pen presented a horrible aspect it is worse than camp Sumter [Andersonville] in all respects It seems as though they would starve us to death Oh merciful Heavens protect us.” Three days later, Daniel wrote, “… I have not done much today I helped my old friend York [Cpl. William York of Co. D, who was mustered in on August 20, 1862, was wounded at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, recovered, and was later captured on June 21, 1864, during the Siege of Petersburg] moved over and in with me, we are real glad to get together again & hope that God will guard & protect us He is our daily refuge.” Cpl. William York did survive his time as a POW but died in Wilmington, NC, at the age of 27 before the war’s end.
The remaining men of the 111th were found at Fort Stevenson, VA, in early November 1864, with recently promoted Maj. Joseph W. Corning leading the regiment out of camp on the evening of the 5th to engage a Rebel artillery battery that was harassing the Union pickets. The Rebels soon retreated, taking the cannons but leaving over 100 killed, wounded, or captured. The men continued doing picket duty and 2nd Lt. Esek W. Hoff of Co. K wrote about his experiences: “… I stood out between the two posts listening to the conversation between the pickets on each side. Which was of a Blackguard [Civil War slang for bragging] sort. And they saying ‘Come over Yank, we won’t hurt you’ And from our side about the same only substituting Johnny for Yank.” As the cold weather of the winter arrived, both sides settled into the routine of a siege. There were times when it was like a battle of the bands, with one side playing “Dixie” and the other countering with “Yankee Doodle” rather than shooting.
Recently promoted Sgt. Thomas Geer wrote home on November 11 that he was, “… anxious to hear from the elections. There will be lively time when we do hear. If Lincoln is elected on our side we will open the ball by firing a salute. If McClellan is elected the Johns will open.”
Former Gen. George McClellan was considered the South’s best chance for a peace settlement, but he was not supported by most men in the Union Army which strongly favored President Lincoln (Father or Brother Abe).
Later in November, Geer wrote, “… Fingers are so cold I can hardly hold my pen so you can excuse my blunders. There is nothing new going on here. Cannonading and picket firing is kept up as usual … Rebel deserters come in quite often.”
The Wayne County Historical Society encourages anyone with family members who served and lived in Wayne or Cayuga Counties during the 1860s to contact the Wayne County Historical Society at info@waynehistory.org or (315) 946-4943. If you are not sure about your Civil War ancestry, you can follow up with the link below:
Photos:
1865 sketch by Alfred R. Waud depicts Confederate soldiers waiting outside Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia.
“Bird's Eye View of Confederate Prison Pen at Salisbury, N.C. - Taken in 1864,” was created by artist C. A. Kraus
Daniel Hutchins in the ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH INFANTRY Roaster
Result of 1864 Presidential Election
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