The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 19
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Southwestern Historical Quarterly and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Camp Groce: Confederate Military Prison
August; indeed, every prisoner except one was said to have felt the
sickness at one time or another. In September, 1864, the sup-
posed annual danger was aggravated by an outbreak of yellow
fever at Galveston, and rumor soon had the disease spreading into
the Hempstead region.1"
To avoid the fever the prisoners were removed from Camp
Groce on September so to a site across the Brazos River on a
creek about three miles from Bellville, Texas. The wetness of this
camp as a result of continued rain and wind, seems to have caused
a considerable increase in sickness among both prisoners and
guards, and a second move was soon undertaken. On October 3,
the march by wagon began to "an old camp meeting ground"
near Chappel Hill. Several prisoners died enroute; indeed, it was
claimed that "a well man was a curiosity.""' At this place, known
as Camp Felder, there were a number of large sheds, but appar-
ently all were occupied by the guards, their horses, and their
equipment, so that prisoners were left out in the weather. The
mortality was reportedly greater there than at any other place.
Near the end of October, 1864, the prisoners were returned to
Camp Groce, the danger of yellow fever having passed."
One of the prisoners who survived these experiences later main-
tained that the prison commandant, Colonel Clayton C. Gillespie
of the 25th Texas Cavalry, did all he could "to maltreat prison-
ers," supposedly because he "wished to retaliate upon us for
alleged maltreatment of Confederates in Northern prisons.""
While the testimony of this prisoner in its entirety does not
evoke confidence, his claims about mortality among the seamen
18Nott, Sketches in Prison Camps, lo4; Bellville Countryman, September 20, 27,
1864.
17Bringhurst and Swigart, Forty-sixth Indiana, 133-134; testimony of John Read,
Boston, Massachusetts, October 31, 1867, House Committee Report No. 45, 40th
Cong., 3d Sess. (Serial No. 1391), 927.
18Ibid., 927-928; Bringhurst and Swigart, Forty-sixth Indiana, 134-135. The Bell-
ville Countryman, October 18, 1864, p. 1, reported that the danger had subsided
in Hempstead.
u'Testimony of John Read, House Committee Report No. 45, 40th Cong., 3d
Sess. (Serial No. 1391), 927. Colonel Gillespie and most of his regiment had been
captured at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, on January 11, 1863. Gillespie apparently
began to reorganize and collect his command at Hempstead in July, 1864. See
"Rev. C. C. Gillespie at Camp Chase," in Shreveport Army and Navy Messenger,
March 2, 1865, p. 1; copies of general and special orders concerning Gillespie's
command in Houston Daily Telegraph, July 2o, 1864.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View one page within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/37/?q=%221777%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.