I Fear I Shall Never Leave This Island: Life in a Civil War Prison - Hardcover

Wesley Makely

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813037441 ISBN 13: 9780813037448

Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2011

Synopsis

A first-of-its-kind investigation of Civil War prison conditions “An intimate view of both a Confederate prisoner and his wife. Bush works from their letters but provides insight based on archaeological investigations at Johnson’s Island and some additional letters from other prisoners.”—Lawrence E. Babits, author of Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guildford Courthouse “A fascinating study that will appeal to a variety of audiences. The author literally uncovers the prisoner of war experience at Johnson’s Island by sifting through the material culture record.”—Michael P. Gray, author of The Business of Captivity: Elmira and Its Civil War Prison Johnson’s Island, in Sandusky, Ohio, was not the largest Civil War prison in the North, but it was the only one to house Confederate officers almost exclusively. As a result, a distinctive prison culture developed, in part because of the educational background and access to money enjoyed by these prisoners.           
David Bush has spent more than two decades leading archaeological investigations at the prison site. In I Fear I Shall Never Leave This Island he pairs the expertise gained there with a deep reading of extant letters between one officer and his wife in Alexandria, Virginia, providing unique insights into the trials and tribulations of captivity as actually experienced by the men imprisoned at Johnson’s Island.    

?Together, these letters and the material culture unearthed at the site capture in compelling detail the physical challenges and emotional toll of prison life for POWs and their families. They also offer fascinating insights into the daily lives of the prisoners by revealing the very active manufacture of POW craft jewelry, especially rings.           
other collection of Civil War letters offers such a rich context; no other archaeological investigation of Civil War prisons provides such a human story. David R. Bush is professor of anthropology at Heidelberg University in Ohio and chairman of the Friends and Descendants of Johnson’s Island Civil War Prison.

About this title

From the Back Cover

“Among Civil War military prisons, Johnson’s Island was unique in many ways. Geographically, it was the farthest north of any Union prison. . . . It was constructed at the outset of the war and, from May 1862 on, its prisoner population was composed almost entirely of Confederate officers, as many as 2,500 at a time. . . . Bush tells the Johnson’s Island story using letters exchanged between a prisoner and his wife, annotated with archaeological data and photographs of artifacts. The device is surprisingly effective and yields a unique insight into ‘Life in a Civil War Prison.’”—Civil War News

 

“Rather than merely annotating these moving letters, Bush puts them in context with a myriad of physical remains unearthed from the 14-acre site over the years. . . . Manages to bring both Captain Makely and Johnson’s Island into clear, albeit stark, relief.”—Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia

 

“What makes this collection so special is that in most cases we are privy to the entire conversation. . . . [Bush] provides detailed images of the gutta-percha artifacts as well as other artifacts recovered from the archaeological investigation of Johnson’s Island. These images give the reader a much better idea of and appreciation for just how detailed these items were and the skill of the prisoner-artisans who made them. . . . A fascinating work.”—H-Net Reviews

 

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.

David R. Bush is professor of anthropology at Heidelberg University in Ohio and chairman of the Friends and Descendants of Johnson’s Island Civil War Prison. He 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.

About the Author

David R. Bush is professor of anthropology at Heidelberg University in Ohio and chairman of the Friends and Descendants of Johnson’s Island Civil War Prison.

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0813037441
• ISBN 13: 9780813037448
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: David R. Bush