PDF Slavery in Florida: Territorial Days to Emancipation by Larry Eugene Rivers in History

Description

Johnson’s Island; in Sandusky; Ohio; was built in 1862 specifically to house captured Confederate officers. In part because of the educational background and access to money enjoyed by those individuals; a distinctive prison culture developed.David Bush has spent more than two decades leading archaeological investigations at the site; and has uncovered a wealth of material culture that demonstrates the magnitude of POW craft jewelry manufacture; especially rings created by officer-prisoners for loved ones back home.In I Fear I Shall Never Leave This Island Bush pairs these discoveries with a deep reading of extant letters; including a rich trove of correspondence between Captain Wesley Makely; captured shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg; and his wife; Kate; at home in Alexandria; Virginia.Bush captures in compelling detail the physical challenges and emotional toll of prison life and offers fascinating insights into the daily lives of prisoners; guards; and the homefront.No other collection of Civil War letters offers such a rich context; no other archaeological investigation of Civil War prisons provides such a human story.