Ship Island, Mississippi

Ship Island was used as a French base of operations for Gulf Coast maneuvers and later, during the War of 1812, by the British as a launching point for the disastrous Battle of New Orleans. But most memorably, Ship Island served as a Federal prison under the command of Union­ Major General Benjamin F. Butler during the Civil War. This volume traces this fascinating and somewhat sinister history of Ship Island. The main focus of the book is a series of rosters of the men imprisoned. Organized first by the state in which the soldier enlisted and then by the company in which he served, entries are listed alphabetically by last name and include information such as beginning rank; date and place of enlistment; date and place of capture; physical characteristics; and, where possible, the fate and postwar occupation of the prisoner.

The late Theresa Arnold-Scriber was a writer and researcher. She lived in Louisiana.

Terry G. Scriber is a writer, researcher and museum security professional. He lives in Louisiana.

Theresa Arnold-Scriber and Terry G. Scriber
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 479
Bibliographic Info: 31 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012 [2008]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6899-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5293-4
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments      1
Introduction      5

I. HISTORY
1. Isle de Surgeres to Ship Island      9
2. The Federals Arrive      30
3. The Prisoner-of-War Camp      55
4. Post-War Ship Island      79

II. ROSTERS
Guide to Using the Rosters      101
Union Dead      106
Alabama Prisoners of War      121
Arkansas Prisoners of War      224
Florida Prisoners of War      225
Georgia Prisoners of War      233
Louisiana Prisoners of War      234
Mississippi Prisoners of War      291
Missouri Prisoners of War      343
North Carolina Prisoners of War      371
South Carolina Prisoners of War      382
Tennessee Prisoners of War      388
Texas Prisoners of War      401
Confederate Navy Prisoners of War      407
Confederate Staff and Regular Prisoners of War      417
Citizen Prisoners of War      426

Chapter Notes      433
Bibliography      439
Index      441

• “First-rate…well written…good documentation…excellent…highly recommended”—ARBA
• “A rare compilation of names that will help genealogists, historians and war researches with their own writings. Freed black men from the Louisiana Native Guard served as Union guards, a unique occurrence”—SunHerald.com.