Gambles Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Belle Isle Prison
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 3, 2009
1. Belle Isle Prison Marker
Directly in front of you, in mid-river, is Belle Isle. Despite the large number of Union prisoners brought to Richmond during the Civil War, the city had only two full-time prisons. Libby Prison for Union officers, a mile and a half downriver, was the more famous of the pair, but Belle Isle, designed for Union enlisted men, was the most miserable.
Confederate authorities realized that the island would make an ideal site for holding captured enlisted men from the Union army. The first prisoners arrived from the battlefields in July 1862. Overcrowding soon became the prisons primary problem. At times as many as 6,000 men occupied the portion of the island that had been set aside for prisoners. The absence of wooden buildings increased the suffering of the incarcerated soldiers. Poor sanitation, winters cold and summers heat and sun, malnutrition, and an insufficient number of tents plagued the prisoners. By 1864, about 20,000 men had spent some time on the island. The precise number of deaths is not yet known, but the sum could approach 1,000 men.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
this page online
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 37° 32.13′ N, 77° 26.799′ W. Marker was in Richmond, Virginia. It was in Gambles Hill. It could be reached from Tredegar Street 0.1 miles west of South 5th Street. This marker is located outside the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 470 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA 23219, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Central Virginia. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 3, 2009
2. Belle Isle Prison Marker (facing south)
Other markers no longer nearby. Belle Isle and Old Dominion Iron and Nail Works (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Tredegar Rolling Mills (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Tredegar in 1951 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); President Lincoln Visits Richmond (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); Making Machines at Tredegar (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Bulldozer Press (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Industrial Recycling (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Neighborhoods at Tredegar (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named President Lincoln Visits Richmond (was within shouting distance of this marker but
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 8, 2009
3. Belle Isle Prison Marker (facing west)
More about this marker. The marker has been damaged and the title is illegible. On the bottom of the panel is "A post-war photograph of Belle Isle, taken just upriver from Tredegar."
Also see . . . Belle Isle Prison. Civil War Richmond (Submitted on January 18, 2010.)
4. Belle Isle Cemetery
Prisoners who died on Belle Isle were buried in the little cemetery [at the] northeastern end of the island. Surviving prisoners often stole the [wooden] headboards from the graves for use as firewood. At the end of the war, Union agents disinterred the bodies that could be found and removed them to the newly established Richmond National Cemetery on the Williamsburg Road, just east of the city. The man inspecting the grave is photographer John Reekie.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,045 times since then and 50 times this year. Last updated on January 19, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 18, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
