The Alton Military Prison

The Alton Military Prison. The Civil War began at Fort Sumpter on April 12, 1861 and Alton became a stopping off point for thousands of Union soldiers. Rail lines brought the soldiers to the river front and they boarded steamers for Southern battlefields., By December, 1861 overcrowding at the two St. Louis prisons (Gration Street and Myrtle Street Prisons) prompted Major General Henry Hallack to send Lt. Colonel James McPherson to inspect this site for possible use as a military prison. Lt. Col. McPherson reported to General Halleck on January 2, 1862 that the prison could be made ready for about $2,415 Negotiations were completed quickly for the leasing of the property and fires were started to dry out the buildings. The first Confederate prisoners arrived from Fort Henry on February 9, 1862., Guarded by the 13th Regular U.S. Infantry, the Confederate prisoners were marched from the levee below the prison into the prison yard. According to accounts in the Alton Telegraph, many local citizens commented on how much they looked like their own sons. The Alton Military Prison would eventually be home to over 11,764 Confederate soldiers as well as over 1,400 civilians., Alton Military Prison History, 1862 , Feb. 9 First prisoners arrive by steamboat , Feb. 16 Private TJ. Stephens, of Knox County, Missouri dies of pneumonia, the first prisoner death , Feb. 21 Col. Sidney Burbank, prison commander, complains to Washington about paroled Confederate officers roaming the city , Feb. 28 All officers are sent to Columbus, Ohio, leaving only non-commissioned officers and privates. This will continue throughout the war. , Apr. 5 Private Joseph Sterling of the 13th U.S. Infantry dies, the first fatality among the guards , Jul. 25 Thirty-six prisoners escape through a 60-foot-long tunnel dug from one of the prison buildings, two are recaptured. , Apr. 3 Total number of prisoners reported as 791 , Aug. 4 U.S. 13th Infantry is replaced by the 77th Ohio Volunteer Infantry under Col. Jesse Hildebrand , Nov. 20 Twenty prisoners escape by setting fire to a building and using a ladder to scale the wall. Few are recaptured. , Oct. 15 Henry Farmer, a private in Poindexter's Missouri Regiment, arrives with smallpox. Farmer will be the first prisoner to succumb to the disease., 1863 , Jun. 9 Prison population reported at 1600, including 110 Federal soldiers , Jul. 9 725 prisoners arrive from Helena, Arkansas , Jul. 30 77th Ohio replaced by 37th Iowa, nicknamed the Greybeards, commanded by Col. George Kinkaid , Aug. 21 Quarantine hospital opens on an island near the Missouri shore, 1864 , Jan. 18 37th Iowa is replaced by 10th Kansas Infantry, under Col. William Weer , Feb. 18 1,757 prisoners reported at Alton Prison , Apr. 24 812 prisoners reported at Alton; 542 POWs, 124 civilians, 145 Federal soldiers , Sep. 9 Forty-six prisoners being led to work outside the prison overpower some guards and take their muskets. Seven prisoners are killed, five are wounded and all but two are recaptured, 1865 , Mar. 21 Island quarantine hospital is closed because of flooding , Jun. 7 Private Richard Armstrong dies, the last Confederate fatality at Alton Military Prison , Jun. 20 Last prisoners leave the Alton Military Prison