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4 “This prison in our own country” Union Parole Camps on June 28, 1862, a month before the signing of the Dix-hill Cartel, the U.s. War Department issued General orders no. 72.The goal of the orders was to address what secretary stanton considered a serious abuse of the nascent parole system . The Confederates had begun paroling a number of western prisoners, including some two thousand taken at shiloh. They had also initiated a policy of paroling prisoners in the field, immediately after a battle. it did not take long for Union soldiers to realize that capture no longer meant months of confinement in a dreary Confederate prison. Rather, its likely result would be a lengthy furlough and a pleasant trip home until exchanged.1 The orders announced that neither discharges nor furloughs would be granted to paroled prisoners. All furloughs previously issued were revoked, and all prisoners “now at large on their parole or who may hereafter be paroled” were ordered to report to one of three parole camps designated by the War Department. Those from the east would go to a facility near Annapolis soon to be christened Camp Parole. Parolees belonging to virginia, Kentucky, ohio, Tennessee, indiana, and michigan regiments were ordered to Camp Chase near Columbus, ohio. Benton Barracks, located near st. louis, was designated for paroled soldiers from illinois, Wisconsin, minnesota, iowa, and missouri. officers were ordered to “use their utmost exertions” to help publicize and execute the instructions. in a passage that later events would render ironic, the orders further stated, “And their excellencies the Governors of the several states are respectfully solicited to lend their efforts to the same end.”2 Benton Barracks was the first parole camp to receive large contingents of men. on July 13 Col. Benjamin l. e. Bonneville, commander of the post, reported that 1,167 had just arrived. They reached the camp “without officers and with extra- 58 • Chapter 4 ordinary opinions of duties proper for them.” With what would prove to be an understatement, Bonneville noted that supervising them under the circumstances was “a somewhat unpleasant task.”3 Writing from a different perspective was Charles hadley. The shiloh prisoner was part of a contingent of parolees that arrived at Benton Barracks on July 10. They entered the camp, hadley wrote, guarded by “Uncle sams ignoramous 23d missouri.” once inside, “We have been used as if we were a disgraced lot of men.” As an example, hadley cited an incident that occurred shortly after their arrival. An officer was lecturing the paroled men on duty. When one of the parolees asked if Union officials planned to pay the released prisoners before asking them to do any duty, the officer ordered a sergeant to arrest the heckler. This the sergeant refused to do. Under the terms of his parole, he protested, he could not perform any military duty until properly exchanged. Upon hearing this, the officer ordered a corporal to take both men to the guardhouse. Citing the same parole oath, the corporal also refused. The officer then proceeded to arrest all three himself.4 over the next few days, hadley recorded similar incidents. on the 14th camp officials ordered three men from each company to stand guard duty. only one man, an illinois soldier, reported. some twenty of those chosen for duty were nowhere to be found.The remainder, approximately sixteen, ended up in the guardhouse adorned by a ball and chain. The same day nine acting captains of detachments submitted a petition protesting the order requiring garrison duty from the paroled men. They argued that such duty violated their paroles and asked that their protest be forwarded to the War Department.5 it is not known whether the petition reached Washington, but a number of complaints from other quarters soon did. Robert Winslow, whose two sons were among the Benton Barracks parolees, wrote to stanton on July 19. he complained that the paroled men were owed eight months’ back pay and that they were being forced to perform military duty in violation of their paroles. he further objected to the fact that those who refused were sent to the guardhouse. “This ought not to be,” he concluded, “and if the fact becomes public will do much to embarrass our operations in recruiting under the new call for additional troops.”6 soon public officials added their voices to the protests.Two days after Winslow lodged his complaints, nathaniel Baker, iowa’s adjutant general, requested that the...

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