Gus was captured on April 9, 1864, and was marched to Camp Ford in Tyler, Texas, along with several hundred other Union soldiers. On my phone's map, the walk from Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, to Tyler, Texas, is 124 miles and would take 1 day, 19 hours. How many of these captured soldiers were wounded? Tired? Hungry? I wonder how many died along the march to the POW prison.
Camp Ford was opened in August of 1861 as a location to train new confederate recruits. But, by November 1863, it was used to house Union POWs. Camp Ford had transitioned from a training camp to a POW camp because it was geographically remote to discourage escapees; and privates had become the basic unit of exchange, a bargaining tool, between the Union and Confederacy. Camp Ford was a full day's march from Shreveport where prisoners were put on boats, carried down the Red River, and exchanged.
The exchange of prisoners had gone smoothly for some time but deteriorated over time because of violations. While Union soldiers were known to go back to their homes once they had been exchanged, Confederate prisoners often re-joined their army unit to fight again. Thus, exchanges stopped and more captured soldiers were kept for longer periods. This is what Gus faced as he entered Camp Ford.
Prior to the spring of 1864, Camp Ford prisoners had built huts and had developed a sense of community, complete with activities. Soldiers built two aqueducts--the upper one was for drinking; the lower one for bathing. This arrangement ensured the quality of drinking water and the health of prisoners. Until early 1864, prisoners were allowed to use tools to build and make items. Singing and square dancing were favorite pastimes. However, all of that changed in early 1864.
With the Red River Campaign, battles at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, on April 8 and 9, 1864, the prison population at Camp Ford increased dramatically. The existing prisoners noted with derision the announcement that they were to expect an additional 3,000 inmates on April 10.
Camp Ford had been enlarged, but was still terribly overcrowded. Perhaps Col. Nott's narrative best summed up the transition. "The healthy character of our camp changed in a single week. Disease and death followed each other quickly in. The vice and lawlessness that live in the vile haunts of cities sprang up and flourished here."
Beginning in the spring of 1864, when Gus was in the camp, the living conditions at Camp Ford were dreadful. There were barely enough crude shelters for the prisoners. In fact, some had to exist without shelter with just a blanket to shelter them from the cold and storms. Sanitation became an issue as the numbers swelled in the prison. Body lice became a frequent affliction. And fistfights over food and shelter were common. Imagine Gus in that situation, struggling to survive these conditions.
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| A drawing of Camp Ford where Gus was a POW |
Standard food was beef and cornmeal, and normally there was just one ration for the prisoners each day. Prisoners had to slaughter their own cattle; and, in the summer, the beef quickly became spoiled. It's no wonder that there were so many illnesses and deaths during this time. As we know, Gus returned from the war, having lost a great deal of weight, and with intestinal problems that plagued him the rest of his life.
The only thing that saved many of the men was that these horrible conditions existed during a warmer time of the year. Still many died. Of the 232 recorded deaths at Camp Ford, 183 occurred between May and October 1864 when Gus was a POW there.
To alleviate boredom, some men because very ingenious, becoming entrepreneurs and using their skills in craftmaking. Some crude tools were available, and these tools were used to create items that then could be traded or sold. One story we have been told about Gus is that he made carvings that he then traded for extra food. The cane that Myron has is one that Gus carved during his time in Camp Ford.
Gus was listed as a POW or missing soldier in several publications. Imagine being his wife Catherine and their children, reading in the Daily State Register, Des Moines, Iowa, about the Battle of Pleasant Hill (byline April 9, 1864). It listed the "Casualities in the 32nd Regiment" with "Linn" being listed as missing from Company D. At the end of this article is the following: "Many of the severely wounded being left on the field, there is a painful uncertainty as in their exact conditions. It is feared that many of the missing were killed or wounded."
In a book published after the war, a list of the Iowa Volunteeers from the 32nd Infantry was given with the following, found on page 81 under the heading "Company D":
"Linn, Gustus. Age 34. Residence Boonesborough, nativity Sweden. Enlisted Jan. 5, 1864. Mustered Jan. 20, 1864. Taken prisoner April 9, 1864, Pleasant Hill, La. Transferred to Company I, Eighth Infantry, July 25, 1865."
Great-great Grandpa Gustus Linn was a POW, surviving in deplorable conditions, for over 15 months!
When news reached the Camp that General Lee had surrendered at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, there was much excitement. It must have been a time of great relief to Gus and the other POWs, but before they could be transferred and released, there was much concern. They had learned that the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy intended to carry on the war. Faced with the possibility of more months of confinement, many escape attempts were made. Over 100 escaped Camp Ford with the help of a Union sympathizer.
But most inmates, including Gus, stayed in the Camp, believing that the end was truly near. In the final days of the Camp, July of 1865, local townspeople and deserters looted the area. It was a dangerous time for the POWs. Prisoners were escorted to Shreveport by "remnants of the 15th Texas Cavalry Regiment" in order to be protected from the lawless elements who were pillaging the countryside. I can't imagine the continued terror prisoners like Gus must have felt as they marched to Shreveport. Within days, Camp Ford was destroyed completely.
Gus was honorably discharged from Company D, 32nd Infantry, on July 8, 1865 and transferred to Company I, Eighth Infantry (Iowa Vet Volunteers) where he was to serve out his unexpired term of enlistment. However, on July 29, 1865, Gustus Linn was discharged and sent home.
The final chapter of Gus's war service will be next week with his return home.
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