John Dooley's Civil War: An Irish American's Journey in the First Virginia Infantry Regiment

11. “Learning How Little Food . . . a Man May Live Upon”: Johnson’s Island, November 1863–March 1864

Chapter 11 “Learning How Little Food . . . a Man May Live Upon”: Johnson’s Island, November 1863–March 1864 Due to the hasty construction of the barracks at Johnson’s Island, huge gaps developed in the exterior walls, ceilings, and floors as the green wood dried, providing little shelter from the gales that roared across Lake Erie in the particularly cold winter of 1863– 64.1 In the six months between October 1863 and March 1864, ninety-five prisoners died at Johnson’s Island; that accounted for more than a third of all deaths at the prison during its thirty-ninemonth history. The unusually frigid winter of 1863–64, the lack of prior exposure to such severe climate, the overcrowding in filthy housing, and the inadequate diet all made for a lethal combination that predisposed many of the Southerners to the illnesses that proved fatal.2 There were several factors at play in the Union’s refusal to resume any general exchange of prisoners, but the fact that Union prisoner-of-war camps held far more prisoners (about 35,000 by December 1863) than did Confederate camps certainly gave the Federal government no motivation to do anyhing that would improve the ratio of Confederate troops vis-à-vis their opponents. As Ulysses Grant came to see clearly by 1864, every Confederate “Learning How Little Food . . . a Man May Live Upon” 228 kept in a Northern prison meant one step closer for the Union armies to achieve peace through prevailing on the battlefield: “If we hold those caught they amount to no more than dead men.”3 Dooley wrote about the deadly winter of 1863–64 in his “Prison Series: Part 2.” On November 18 he records, “Our diet continues scant and meagre” as the rations shrink even more. By early December they have only “bread and make-believe coffee.” Three months later the situation has not measurably improved. “No meat, no sugar, no nothing,” he notes on March 1. Securing adequate clothing and protection against the numbing cold is just as futile as procuring food. Dooley spends most of the days simply trying to get warm. When new rules are issued that require the surgeon’s permission to receive an overcoat from outside, Dooley is incensed. However, the rule is not strictly enforced , and he receives consecutive packages containing overcoats , which he shares with his colleagues. Christmas Day is dismal, and thoughts of home only make it gloomier. The terrible conditions of winter inspire a new round of escape attempts so numerous that Dooley cannot record them all. On New Year’s Day, during the coldest night in local memory, four officers take advantage of the –27 degree temperature that is keeping sentries snugly indoors to make a rare successful escape. Attempts by a far greater number of prisoners to replicate this success the following evening prove futile. Dooley discovers among his fellow officers of different classes that the war has been a social leveler. Ironically, he is put out when prison officials order these same officers latrine duty, which vile work “low hirelings” formerly did. As for the war itself, by the end of 1863 Dooley is straining to put a good face on the, at best, mixed news. By winter’s end there is flickering hope that the Confederacy’s fortunes may be improving. Morale is maintained in various ways. Washington’s Birthday becomes an occasion to celebrate the first president of the United States as “the Father of Rebels.” Individuals make speeches to their fellow inmates, promoting and defending the South’s cause. The prisoners form an organization, the Brothers of the Southern Cross, whose goal is to support the Confederacy, particularly the widows and orphans of Confederate soldiers. Dooley keeps his spirits up through reading, chess playing (now grown to matches between block houses), verse-making, Johnson’s Island, November 1863–March 1864 229 and religious practice. In late February a Catholic priest from Sandusky finally makes contact with the Catholics on the island, and the Catholic prisoners become more of a distinct community within the compound. They form a Catholic association, which observes the Sabbath by gathering together for prayers and readings . But the priest’s promise to return to provide for the prisoners ’ spiritual needs is seldom kept, and Dooley must fulfill his Sunday duty by reading his Mass missal or Thomas á Kempis. [p2] Nov. 18th 1863—Reading today consists in a little of...