He died in Butler Prison Camp as a Rebel POW.
The camp, named after William Butler (Illinois state treasurer), became a P.O.W. facility one day after Camp Douglas was established. The prison consisted of 3 seperate compounds, totaling 40 acres, used for troop training. Nearby, a 15 acre site on the west side of the parade grounds was set aside to confine a portion of the 2,000 prisoners from the battles at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Two months later, a group of over 1,000 prisoners arrived after the battle of Island No. 10. They were housed in tents due to the prisoner barracks being full already.
The prisoners were housed in 21 wood-frame buildings, measuring 24x100 feet each and meant to house 100 men. Eventually, 3 of these buildings were used as hospitals. These prisoners were guarded by the 400 men of the 52nd Illinois Infantry. Due to the lack of a prison wall around the compound, the 12th Illinois Cavalry, from Camp Douglas, was sent to assist as guards. The first prison commandant was Col. Pitcairn Morrison, originally a military recruiter. On June 22, 1862, Morrison was returned to recruiting duties and Maj. John G. Fonda became the next commandant.
In January 1863, Col. William F. Lynch took over. On January 31, a group of 1,665 prisoners arrived. They came from the battles of Fort Hindman and Murfreesboro. Another 500 prisoners arrived a few months later.
LIFE & CONDITIONS:
At the camp, most prisoners suffered mostly from the weather. Pneumonia was the biggest killer among the prisoners. By the end of March 1862, 148 prisoners were buried in a nearby Confederate cemetery. All the deaths were caused by weather-related pneumonia. Most of the sickness and diseases were also weather-related.
[-- author unknown; Bio when I took over management of memorial 9/18/2021 -- lj]