Identifier	MCW_MDCH_11-08-30_DON0008_0007
Creator	Gilchrist, Robert C. (Robert Cogdell), 1829-1902
Title	Robert Cogdell Gilchrist letter dated November 17, 1864
Subject	Gilchrist, Robert C. (Robert Cogdell), 1829-1902--Correspondence Confederate States of America. Army--Correspondence United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons
Description	Letter dated November 17, 1864 from Captain R. C. (Robert Cogdell) Gilchrist, C.S.A., Acting Assistant Adjutant General, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, to Lieutenant Colonel R. S. Means, Commandant of Military Prisoners. Camp Sorghum, Columbia, South Carolina, concerning the conduct of prisoner-of-war Union officers under his command. In this one-page letter Captain Gilchrist spells out to Colonel Means new rules for handling Federal prisoners; namely, the name of every prisoner who escapes his custody must be reported, and every prisoner must agree not to escape or he will be "confined in a pen in the same manner as the privates now are." (Editor's note: How Colonel Pennock Huey of the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, a prisoner of war at Camp Sorghum at this time, obtained this letter is not known. It is possible that this letter was sent to him as a ranking officer among the prisoners, but the tenor of the letter and its inside address to Colonel Means would suggest otherwise.)
Transcript	Head Quarters Department of South Carolina[,] Georgia and Florida Charleston SC Nov 17th 1864 Colonel The Lieut Genl [Lieutenant General] directs that you report to these Head Quarters the name of every officer or man who escapes from your custody, also that you notify the Federal officers that they must give their parole not to attempt to escape, or else they will be confined in a pen in the same manner as the privates now are . Very respectfully[,] Your Obdt Sevt [Your Obedient Servant,] R. C. Gilchrist A.A.A.G.[Acting Assistant Adjutant General] To Lt Col [Lieutenant Colonel] Means Comdg [Commanding,] Federal Prisoners Columbia SC
Date Original	1864-11-17
Biographical/Historical Note	Robert Cogdell Gilchrist was born in Charleston, South Carolina on June 2, 1829. He joined the Charleston Zouave Cadets as 2nd Lieutenant about 1861, eventually entering a regular military unit, where he rose to the rank of Captain and, by 1864, had become Acting Assistant Adjutant General, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. On April 27, 1865 he was one of three Confederate adjutants who along with General Joseph E. Johnston signed the surrender papers for the Army of Tennessee. After the war he became a bridge builder. He died on August 16, 1902 and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina . In the latter half of 1864, many Union officers imprisoned in Charleston, South Carolina, including Colonel Pennock Huey of the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, were moved to a military prison in Columbia, South Carolina. That prison became known as Camp Sorghum. Camp Sorghum consisted of an open field with no shelter, no water, and no walls or fences. Because the conditions were so poor, many prisoners simply walked away. This letter or order was probably issued to curtail such escapes.
Extent	1 scan
Format	Digital reproduction of 1-page document, 19 x 22 cm.
Publisher	Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program Enoch Pratt Free Library
Date Digital	2011-08-30
Language	English;
Type	Text
Coverage	1861-1870
Relation	Is Part Of The Civil War in Your Attic Is Part Of the Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program
Related items	Item provided to The Civil War in Your Attic Project by J. Wistar ("Pete") Huey III, digital donor number MCW_MDCH_11-08-30_DON0008
Rights	Permission to publish is required. Please contact Michael Scott, Digitization Supervisor/MDCH Coordinator, Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-545-6342, mdch@prattlibrary.org.