Johnson's Island

A Prison for Confederate Officers

Roger Pickenpaugh

• Verlag: The Kent State University Press
• Jahr: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781631012020
• Thema: History
• Thema: American Civil War History

In 1861, Lt. Col. William Hoffman was appointed to the post of commissary general of prisoners and urged to find a suitable site for the construction of what was expected to be the Union's sole military prison. After inspecting four islands in Lake Erie, Hoffman came upon one in Sandusky Bay known as Johnson's Island. With a large amount of fallen timber, forty acres of cleared land, and its proximity to Sandusky, Ohio, Johnson's Island seemed the ideal location for the Union's purpose. By the following spring, Johnson's Island prison was born.

Johnson's Island tells the story of the camp from its planning stages until the end of the war. Because the facility housed only officers, several literate diary keepers were on hand; author Roger Pickenpaugh draws on their accounts, along with prison records, to provide a fascinating depiction of day-to-day life. Hunger, boredom, harsh conditions, and few luxuries were all the prisoners knew until the end of the war, when at last parts of Johnson's Island were auctioned off, the post was ordered abandoned, and the island was mustered out of service.

There has not been a book dedicated to Johnson's Island since 1965. Roger Pickenpaugh presents an eloquent and knowledgeable overview of a prison that played a tremendous role in the lives of countless soldiers. It is a book sure to interest Civil War buffs and scholars alike.

1

“Decidedly the Best Location”

Establishing the Prison

Montgomery Meigs was a realist. He had to be. As quartermaster general of the Union Army, he was also a man charged with tremendous responsibilities. A career officer, fifth in the 1836 graduating class at West Point, Meigs had gone on to a solid career as an engineer in the peacetime army of the 1840s and 1850s. His crowning achievement—in a near-literal sense—was the dome of the United States Capitol, which was nearly completed when the guns aimed at Fort Sumter fired on April 12, 1861, plunging the nation into civil war. The following month Meigs was promoted to brigadier general and named to the post that he would hold during the four years of the war. His daunting task was to keep the Union armies supplied and on the move. In doing so, Meigs would eventually oversee spending in excess of $1.5 billion.¹

Unlike many of his civilian superiors, General Meigs realized that the war was likely to be long and difficult, and he urged officials to plan accordingly. On July 12, writing to Secretary of War Simon Cameron, he addressed an issue that other officials had overlooked. “As in the conflict now commenced it is to be expected that the United States will have to take care of large numbers of prisoners of war,” Meigs wrote, “I respectfully call your attention to the propriety of making some arrangements in time.” The quartermaster general called for the appointment of a commissary general of prisoners. This official would be “charged with the care of prisoners now in our hands and preparations for those likely to fall into our possession.” Meigs also urged that a site be selected for “a depot and place of confinement for prisoners of war.” Specifically, he recommended “the Put-in-Bay Islands of Lake Erie.”²

Cameron approved the recommendations, and Meigs issued orders to put them into effect. In early October he named Lt. Col. William Hoffman to the post of commissary general of prisoners. The son of a career army officer, Hoffman had followed in his father’s footsteps. After being graduated from West Point in 1829, he served at a succession of frontier posts. During his three decades of service, he had established a reputation as a strict and capable officer. “Although never brilliant,” his biographer notes, “he was an able and efficient officer.” He was also notoriously thrifty, insisting that buildings be constructed of the cheapest materials and that his men provision themselves by raising their own crops. At the posts he commanded, Hoffman established a “post fund” by reselling surplus rations to the commissary. The fund was used to purchase such luxuries as an ice house, a bowling alley, and curtains for post buildings.³

His prewar duties, including the erection of Fort Bridger and the rebuilding of Fort Laramie, provided Hoffman with practical experience that would serve him well as he oversaw construction of the Union’s proposed prison. He also brought brief experience as a military prisoner to his new position. Hoffman had commanded the 8th United States Infantry, stationed in Texas, when that state seceded. His superior officer, Gen. David Twiggs, surrendered the unit to a state home guard and promptly joined the Confederate Army. Hoffman and his men were quickly paroled, and they started north after pledging not to take up arms or serve in the field against the Government of the Confederate States of America until exchanged. This made Hoffman available for the post of commissary general of prisoners. He did not want the job, lobbying for a special exchange that would free him for duty in the field. His efforts failed, and good soldier that he was, Hoffman assumed his new duties. Except for a few months in late 1864 and early 1865, he would remain in the thankless position for the remainder of the war.

On October 7, 1861, Hoffman headed for Lake Erie to select a suitable site for what was then expected to be the Union’s sole military prison. He first inspected North, Middle, and South Bass Islands on the American side of the lake. All three posed problems. Both North Bass and Middle Bass, he felt, were too close to Canadian islands, raising the dangers of escape or rescue. South Bass was largely occupied by vineyards, posing a strong temptation to the men who would garrison the post. In addition, all three islands were too far from Sandusky, the nearest city, to transport construction materials efficiently. Hoffman next visited nearby Kelley’s Island. He found it to be a likely site except for the presence of a “wine and brandy establishment.” The commissary general feared the business would pose “too great a temptation to the guard to be overcome by any sense of right or fear of punishment.”

“I examined also an island in Sandusky Bay opposite the city,” Hoffman then reported. It consisted of about three hundred acres and was located two and three-quarter miles from Sandusky. Some forty acres of land were cleared, “affording a good site for the buildings fronting on the water toward the city.” There was much to recommend the site for the budget-conscious officer. The entire island could be leased for just five hundred dollars a year. There was also a large amount of fallen timber, which could be utilized as fuel. Because of the island’s proximity to Sandusky, large storehouses would be unnecessary at the post. Hoffman concluded, “I recommend this island—Johnson’s Island—as decidedly the best location for a depot I have seen.”⁴

The commissary general suggested the erection of “a substantial plank fence to inclose [sic] the ground on three sides [and] a high open picketing closing the fourth toward the water for security in winter time.” He believed a gate and a large blockhouse should be placed at one of the interior angles and recommended a smaller blockhouse at the angle nearest to the lake. “A hospital, storehouses and kitchen will be required,” Hoffman noted, “and probably mess-rooms as there will be scant room for eating in the quarters.” All of this, plus barracks for prisoners and guards, stoves, fencing, and outhouses, Hoffman estimated would cost $26,266.⁵

On October 26 Meigs approved Hoffman’s plans and ordered him to proceed at once to Sandusky. “In all that is done,” the quartermaster general urged, “the strictest economy consistent with security and proper welfare of the prisoners must be observed.” This stricture was in line with Hoffman’s views. Still, the commissary general showed a willingness to spend money when he believed such expenditures were necessary for “the proper welfare of the prisoners.” When he sent Meigs a copy of the lease on November 15, Hoffman informed his superior that he had allowed the contractors an extra allowance of $1,500 to make sure the buildings would be suitable for the winter climate. He also reported, “Much of the lumber is already on the ground and the work is progressing rapidly.” The contractors, Gregg & West of Sandusky, he considered “energetic, reliable men.”⁶

Writing about these events thirty years later, one of those energetic contractors, W. T. West, recalled that Hoffman had at first desired a location closer to Detroit. The commissary general’s mother and brother lived in the Michigan city, and he felt that it would be a cheaper market for lumber. “I did not suppose that we should stand any chance,” West wrote. He tried to improve his hometown’s chances by securing lumber at a bargain price and submitting a bid to Hoffman that trimmed twenty-five percent from the estimated construction price. Despite these efforts, West was surprised when he received a telegram from Hoffman informing him that Johnson’s Island had been selected.

The construction of a major military depot proved an economic boon for Sandusky. In addition to the construction and lumber contracts, the city’s merchants were called upon for a variety of needed supplies. On December 7 the Sandusky Register reported that local businessman A. H. Gale had been awarded a $1,500 contract for supplying stoves. The contract called for 170 heating stoves and 20 of “Peckham’s Improved Agricultural Furnaces and Boilers.” Hoffman urged commanders at all Union prisons to utilize these large-capacity cooking boilers, which saved money because they required a minimum of fuel.⁷

A warm autumn allowed the contractors to push the work forward rapidly. On January 27, 1862, Hoffman informed Meigs that all the buildings had been completed. All that remained was for the contractors to finish the bunks and benches in the prison barracks. The commissary general had hoped that carpenters among the guard company then training on the island would do this work and also construct the fence. He could not find any, however, and was forced to give these extra tasks to the contractors. This added to the final cost. So too did Hoffman’s decision to increase the height of the fence from nine to eleven feet. The cost conscious Meigs trusted his equally frugal subordinate. He approved all of the Johnson’s Island expenditures.⁸

Meigs could certainly not have objected to Hoffman’s thoroughness. The summer and fall of 1861 saw few Union victories. Few victories meant few prisoners, and the commissary general was able to devote his full energies to the construction of the Johnson’s Island depot. As the buildings went up he issued orders that the stables be built near the water and far enough from the main camp to avoid any danger from fires. On November 10, 1861, he asked the commander of the Allegheny Arsenal in Pittsburgh for advice about casemate carriages for the twelve-pound howitzers he wanted for the two blockhouses. Later he arranged with the same officer for ordnance and ordnance stores. In February Hoffman made arrangements with the state of Ohio’s quartermaster department to provide blankets. Meigs agreed to supply surplus clothing for the prisoners. Hoffman felt that this would be needed, “as it will be desirable to throw away many of the filthy garments which the prisoners will have on when they arrive here.”⁹

On January 3 Hoffman sought permission to purchase a small steamboat for the prison. Meigs may have questioned the necessity for such a vessel, because on February 5 Hoffman wrote, “After maturely considering the matter of a guard boat for the Depot, I cannot advise the substitution of a launch or row boat in place of a steam propeller.” The steamboat was necessary, he explained, to prevent possible attacks and to discourage escapes. Also, smaller vessels would become unmanageable “during the prevalence of heavy winds, which are common in the spring and fall.” The quartermaster general was persuaded and instructed Hoffman to locate a guard boat for the post. Perhaps the search was unsuccessful. In any event Johnson’s Island did not get its boat until July.¹⁰

One of Hoffman’s greatest challenges came in attempting to find a commander for his Lake Erie prison. As the commissary general of prisoners would soon discover as he attempted to staff a number of Union prisons, the best men had volunteered their services at the front. His options limited, on December 28 Hoffman selected William Seward Pierson as commander of Johnson’s Island with the rank of major. Contractor West later claimed that it was his influence that secured the position for the thirty-seven-year-old Sandusky mayor. “He knew nothing about military tactics,” West conceded, “but was a clever fellow.” The commissary general appeared to agree with that assessment. In seeking the approval of Ohio governor William Dennison for the appointment, Hoffman admitted that the new commandant had “no experience in military matters.” However, “from the high regard entertained of him by gentlemen in whom I have great confidence as a gentleman of the strictest integrity, an intelligent and experienced man of business, particular in administrative affairs, and from my own observation of his gentlemanly and courteous manners I feel well assured that he will fill the station in a way to meet the best interests of the service and the satisfaction of those under his charge.”¹¹

Hoffman was even more open with Dennison’s successor, David Tod. Writing to the new governor in April 1862, he expressed regret that a more experienced officer had recently refused command of Johnson’s Island. Pierson, he noted, was “very gentlemanly and courteous” and “very industrious and attentive.” However, “the commander must have some military experience, the more the better, and he should be a little advanced in life, as years will give weight to his authority.” Hoffman added, “He [Pierson] appreciates his deficiencies and is very willing to resign his place into more able hands if such are within my reach.” They were not, and Pierson would remain in command at Johnson’s Island until January 1864.¹²

William Seward Pierson, a former mayor of Sandusky, was Johnson’s Island’s first, and longest serving, commander. (Courtesy Massachusetts MOLLUS Collection, United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.)

With no replacement in sight, Hoffman did all he could to advise his young commander of military protocol. His often prickly disposition had earned him the nickname “Old Huffy,” but Hoffman couched his instructions to Pierson in terms that were almost fatherly. He urged his newly minted major to avoid consulting members of his command before issuing orders. “The more silent the commanding officer is about his measures the better the effect,” Hoffman counseled. He further instructed Pierson not to overlook details. “The neglect of trifles leads to other neglects, and step by step discipline is undermined,” he wrote. Finally, Hoffman called for strictness. When he sent the commander instructions in relation to drill, he noted that the duty might seem “pretty hard” to some. “There may be complaints against it even by officers,” Hoffman warned, “but if soldiers are required to do only what they are willing to do there can be little discipline or instructions.”¹³

Hoffman also anticipated difficulties in finding a competent surgeon for the prison. Under regulations the pay would be only eighty dollars per month. The physician would also have to live on the island. Under those circumstances, Hoffman explained to the surgeon general, “I doubt if any competent person can be found to accept the place.” The surgeon general granted permission to raise the pay to one hundred dollars a month, and on February 15 Pierson informed Hoffman that Dr. Timothy Woodbridge had accepted the appointment. “I send a telegram to you requesting you to employ him immediately,” the relieved commissary general replied.¹⁴

To secure a guard force for the prison, Secretary Cameron turned to Governor Dennison. On October 29, 1861, the war secretary asked the governor to raise “a select company of volunteers” for the duty. Dennison replied that he would “cheerfully comply” with the request and would consult with Hoffman in the selection of officers. Hoffman informed officials in Washington on December 28 that the first twenty-five men had reported to the island. By then two companies had been recruited. Ten days later Hoffman sent word to Ohio’s adjutant general that the first company, commanded by Capt. Foster Follett, was “about organized.” He asked the state official to supply arms and equipment, including a revolver for each man.¹⁵

At Dennison’s suggestion the outfit was christened t...