Castle Thunder - Confederate Political Prison for "Disloyal" Southerners, Union Spies, Confederate and Union Deserters, Run-away Slaves - April 1865

3D red/cyan anaglyph created from glass plate stereograph at Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: www.loc.gov/pictures/

 

LOC Title: Richmond, Va. Castle Thunder, Cary Street

 

Link to glass plate: www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018666747/

 

Date: April 1865

 

Photographer: Not identified

 

Notes: The view we see here is after the Confederates had evacuated the city and set fire to the warehouse district, both Castle Thunder and nearby Libby prison survived the conflagration. The soldiers on the street are Union soldiers and the men peering out the prison windows are quite likely newly incarcerated Confederates. While the Confederates controlled the prison, the guards had license to shoot dead anyone peering out a window, and included below, is one such account.

 

Inmates were often jailed on trumped-up charges of disloyalty; I read of one case where a Confederate officer had a Richmond man jailed so he could get his wife, and he did (in the biblical sense). Note that both southern and northern prisoners received the same inhumane treatment.

 

Below, a brief summary on Castle Thunder from the NPS, Richmond National Battlefield Park, and then several Civil War era accounts for additional background information:

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"Castle Thunder - Gleanor’s Tobacco Factory and two smaller brick buildings, Palmer’s Factory and Whitlock’s Warehouse, were seized by the Confederate government and repurposed as a prison. This complex was aptly named for its extreme brutality: Castle Thunder. The three buildings housed 1,400 political prisoners and deserters who were segregated by gender, race, and criminal offense. Conditions at Castle Thunder were particularly inhumane with extreme physical punishment and abuse. It has been noted that on principal, prison officials would often give 50 to 100 lashes to newly arriving Confederate deserters.

 

Like Libby Prison, Castle Thunder survived the evacuation fire that destroyed nearly all other tobacco factories and warehouses in the city. Following the war, the property was returned to its original owners, who set the compound on fire in 1879.

 

During its existence, Castle Thunder held roughly one hundred women, including one who would become the only female to receive the Medal of Honor. [See link below]

 

NPS Link to Dr. Mary Edwards Walker: www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/doctor-mary-edwards...

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Campaigns of a Non-combatant: And His Romaunt Abroad During the War, by George Alfred Townsend, published 1866

 

…..Leaving Richmond proper, and descending into the low, squalid portion of the town known as Rocketts, one sees among the many large warehouses, used without exception for the storage of tobacco, a certain one more irregular than the rest. An archway leads into it, and upon the outside of the second story windows runs a long ledge or footway, whereupon sentries used to stride, guarding the miserable people within. This is the jail of Castle Thunder, and it was the civil or State prison of the capital.

 

Ill as were the accommodations of prisoners of war, the treatment of their own unoffending citizens by the Rebel government was ten times more infamous. We could not repress indignation, nor by any philosophic or charitable effort excuse the atrocious tyranny which here lashed, chained, handcuffed, tortured, shot, and hung, hundreds of people whom it could not stultify or impress…. thus the terrible testimony of this Castle Thunder is an everlasting stigma upon the Southern cause.

 

We entered its strong portal, and there in the new commandant's room lay the record left behind by the Confederates. Its pages made one shudder. These are some of the entries:

 

"George Barton, giving food to Federal prisoners of war; forty lashes upon the bare back. Approved. Sentence carried into effect July 2.

 

"Peter B. Innis, passing forged government notes; chain and ball for twelve months; forty lashes a day. Approved.

 

"Arthur Wright, attempting to desert to the enemy; sentenced to be shot. Approved. Carried into effect, March 26.

 

"John Morton, communicating with the enemy; to be hung. Approved. Carried into effect, March 26."

 

In an inner room are some fifty pairs of balls and chains, with anklets and handcuffs upon them, which have bent the spirit and body of many a resisting heart. Within are two condemned cells, perfectly dark a faded flap over the window peep-hole the smell from which would knock a strong man down.

 

For in their centre lies the sink, ever open, and the floors are sappy with uncleanliness. To the right of these, a door leads to a walled yard not forty feet long, nor fifteen wide, overlooked by the barred windows of the main prison rooms, and by sentry boxes upon the wall-top. Here the wretched were shot and hung in sight of their trembling comrades. The brick wall at the foot of the yard is scarred and crushed by balls and bullets which, first passed through some human heart and wrote here their damning testimony.

 

The gallows had been suspended from a wing in the ledge, and in mid-air the impotent captive swung, none daring or willing to say a good word for him; and not for any offence against God's law, not for wronging his neighbor, or shedding blood, or making his kind miserable, but for standing in the way of an upstart organization, which his impulse and his judgment alike impelled him to oppose. This little yard, bullet-marked, close, and shut from all sympathy, is to us the ghastliest spot in the world.

 

Can Mr. Davis visit it, and pray as he does so devoutly afterward? When men plead the justice of the South, and arguments are prompt to favor them, let this prison yard rise up and say that no such crimes in liberty's name have ever been committed, on this continent, at least.

 

Upstairs in Castle Thunder, there are two or three large rooms, barred and dimly lit, and two or three series of condemned cells, pent-up and pitchy, where, by a refinement of cruelty, the ceiling has been built low so that no man can stand upright. Here fifteen or twenty were crowded together, and, in the burning atmosphere, they stripped themselves stark naked, so that when in the morning the cell-doors were opened, they came forth as from the grave, begging for death. There are women's cells too; for this great and valiant government recognized women as belligerents, and locked them up close to a sentry's cartridge, so that, in the bitterness of solitude, they were unsexed, and railed, and blasphemed, like wanton things.

 

On the pavements before the jail were hidden numberless guards, who shot at every rag fluttering from the cages, and all this little circle of death and terror was enacted close to the bright river, and airy pediment of that high capitol, where bold men hoped by war to wring from a reluctant Union, acknowledgment of arrogant independence to rein civilization as it pleased, and warp the destinies of our race.

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Patriot Boys and Prison Pictures

By James Roberts Gilmore, published 1866

 

CASTLE THUNDER.

I was in Richmond in the month of July, 1864, and, in company with the Rebel Exchange Commissioner, made a visit to Castle Thunder. It is a very famous prison; and, as you may not have seen it described, I have thought a short account of it might be interesting to you.

 

It is on the same street with the Libby Prison, and very near to it; but is much smaller than that building, and was used for the confinement of Northern civilians and Southern non-combatants, who had incurred the ill-will of the Rebel government.

 

...Its walls were plastered; but its rooms were small, and, when I visited them, filthy and desolate in the extreme. In each one a dozen haggard, homesick men were crowded; and there, in a space not more than twenty feet square, were obliged to eat, and sleep, and dream their lives away, day after day, and month after month, until the slow year rolled round, and went down to the other years which had gone to the great eternity.

 

I was not allowed to talk with any of the inmates, and so learned little of their real condition; but, since I have come away, a friend has given me an interesting account, written by Judge Finn, who was imprisoned in the Castle for many months. I will extract such portions of it as will give you an idea of the prison, and of the wretched life led there by the prisoners.

 

...Mr. Finn was at one time Judge of the Superior Court in the city of New York, but before the war broke out removed to West Virginia, where he became State's Attorney. He was a thoroughly loyal man; and his strenuous opposition to the Rebellion having excited the hatred of the Rebel leaders, he was one night, early in 1864, kidnapped by a gang of ruffians, who bound him hand and foot, and conveyed him a prisoner to Richmond….he was taken to Castle Thunder, and - robbed of everything but the clothes he had on-was thrust into a filthy room, already occupied by half a score of half-starved men, ragged, and broken-spirited from long confinement.

 

The only furniture of this apartment was a splint broom, and a few shoddy blankets, alive with vermin. One of these blankets was furnished to each of the prisoners and it was made to serve for both seat and bed; the prisoner, during the day, sitting on it in the Turkish fashion, and at night wrapping it about him, and lying down on the floor, with a billet of wood for a pillow. The room was infested with rats, bed-bugs, and "gray-backs," - creatures which, at the South, grow to an enormous size, and are "more terrible than an army with banners."

 

They overran everything. An hour every morning was spent by all of the prisoners in searching their garments, and exterminating these detestable vermin; but often, when they supposed they had cast out the last intruder, the Rebel soldiers on the floor above would have a "hoe-down," and a copious shower would again come upon the heads of the hapless victims. A gray-haired man of seventy, his sight dimmed with age, spent hours every day in removing these creatures from his clothing; and a sick prisoner was almost devoured by them. He became very weak, and was removed to the hospital, and, on changing his clothing, a couple of negro servants with a stout broom brushed more than a pint of "gray-backs" from his person.

 

The food given the prisoners was of the poorest and most unwholesome description. From the time of the Judge's arrival until the latter part of May, they received only two meals daily. At eight o'clock in the morning a breakfast, consisting of only eight ounces of stale corn-bread, and a cup of cold water, was served up to them; and at two o'clock in the afternoon they were given for dinner another eight ounces of corn-bread, and a pint of swill; and this was all they received until they were furnished with the same kind of breakfast on the following day. This swill was made by putting a quart of cow-peas (a wild pea used at the South exclusively for feeding swine) into twelve quarts of water, and boiling it for an hour. Then it was served out in a pail so filthy as to be unfit for anything but a second-class pig-sty.

 

In the latter part of May the rations, though not increased in quantity, were somewhat improved in quality, the prisoners receiving four ounces of cornbread, one ounce of meal, and half a gill of rice twice a day, at the same hours as before. But the bread, a portion of the time, was made of cow-feed, - corn and cobs ground up together, and the meat, too, was often spoiled. The Judge has seen the cooks, in preparing fifty pounds of it for boiling, scrape off and take away eight quarts of maggots! As may be readily conceived, life on such fare was only an apprenticeship to starvation.

 

Every rat about the premises that could be caught was eaten. The Judge was told of this, and at first could not believe it; but one evening when he had wrapped himself in his blanket, and laid down to a troubled sleep, a prisoner in the adjoining apartment called to him for a little salt to season a fine rat he was roasting. The Judge hastened to the bars with the salt, and, sure enough, the man was cooking a large specimen over the jet of burning gas which illumined the dark apartment. When cooked, he salted and ate it, congratulating himself on being so fortunate as to have a "meat supper"! After that time the Judge saw hundreds of rats eagerly devoured by the starving inmates of the prison.

 

On another occasion a wealthy Pennsylvania farmer, who was captured by Stuart's raiders in the summer of 1862, and had been confined in the prison nearly two years, was seen to scrape the sawdust from one of the spittoons, mix it with water, and eat it with a spoon. When subsequently asked by his fellow prisoners why he had done this, he answered: "I was so crazed with hunger that I did not know what I was doing."

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Daily Dispatch, Richmond VA.,

Monday Morning, April 11, 1864

 

Tragic - A tragic affair occurred at Castle Thunder last Friday morning about 7 o'clock. Some of the prisoners confined in the third story of the main building of the Castle, which fronts on Cary street, observing that the sentry on guard on the east end of the building was very youthful soldier and one not likely, from his appearance, to enforce rigidly the prison regulations, amused themselves blackguarding him, and one of them, bolder than the rest, persisted in putting his head out of the window in violation of a well understood regulation of the prison, and in spite of the sentry's repeated orders to withdraw it.

 

Alter exhausting remonstrance on him in vain the guard raised his musket and pointed It at the refractory prisoner. But still the latter, believing that the sentry had not the nerve to fire, refused to take In his head. The sentry fired. All the heads disappeared from the window.

 

The officer of the guard, attracted by the report of the musket, came out to see what was the matter. He found the youthful sentry quietly reloading his piece, and was informed by him what had occurred. The officer went up into the prison and there found Theodore V. Brandis lying dead on the floor, near the window, with a bullet through his bead. The ball had entered the centre of the forehead, just above the eyes, and crushed through the back of the skull. He had never spoken after he was shot, or moved except to tumble backward lifeless from the window.

 

At eleven o'clock an inquest was held by Coroner Sauxay, assisted by High Constable Freeman, and the Jury having examined the body, and heard the above recited facts, gave as their verdict that Theodore V. Brandis, the deceased, came to his death by a gunshot wound inflicted by a guard of the prison whilst the latter was in the discharge of his duty.

 

Brandis was 35 years of age, a native of New Jersey, but for some years bad been living in the town of Manchester, Chesterfield co., Va. About three weeks ago he and seven other conscripts, detailed as a guard at the Government Laboratory, deserted in the night and were attempting to reach the Yankee lines, when they were arrested on the Chickahominy and thrown Into Castle Thunder. The sentry who shot him is Robert H. Burford, of Appomattox, a member of co. D, 13th Va. battalion of artillery. He is not quite seventeen years of age, and is a quiet, gentlemanly young fellow, and said to be a first-rate soldier. This was the first time he ever was on guard at the Castle.

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The Soldier's Casket, Volume 1

Published 1865, Ch. W. Alexander

 

THE CASTLE THUNDER BLOODHOUND.

 

All of our readers have heard of the celebrated bloodhound which was captured as one of the appurtenances of that charnel house, Castle Thunder, at Richmond, when our gallant army took the capital of the Rebellion. His name is HERO, (it should have been NERO, after the human monster of Roman history,) and his size alone, to say nothing of his other attributes, is a curiosity. He stands nearly four feet high, is between seven and eight feet long, and weighs almost two hundred pounds Most beautifully proportioned, he joins the most enormous strength with great speed, while his huge mouth, garnished with corresponding tusks, would only require to be shown to a prisoner, to admonish him not to attempt to escape.

 

This tremendous brute can kill, in a short time, the most formidable bear pitted against him. He was carefully trained by his master, and has doubtless prevented the ultimate escape of many a poor Union prisoner. Hero is said to belong to the Russian breed, but we are informed by a gentleman thoroughly posted, that he is not pure, but an improved cross with another breed in the city of Ulm, resembling a wolf. The pure animal is not nearly so large.

 

Link to photo of HERO at Library of Congress: tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/ppmsca/54300/54...

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The Wilmington Journal.

Confederate States of America.

Wilmington, N. C., Saturday, Oct’r 24, 1863.

 

ESCAPE OF DESPERATE CHARACTERS FROM CASTLE THUNDER – A SENTINEL MURDERED.

 

On Thursday morning, between the hours of two and three o'clock, four men succeeded in effecting their escape from Castle Thunder. A previous attempt of the same parties having been discovered and frustrated by the vigilance of the officers, they were confined in the condemned cell, before which a guard is kept continually walking to and fro. and which, from its position, in the very centre of the building, was deemed the most secure place in the prison. Obtaining, by some means, the necessary tools, they cut through the floor into the commissary 's room beneath, descending into which, they secured the arms placed there for safe keeping, then in a body, rushing out into the room used for the reception of visitors, they overthrew the sentinel on guard inside the door, who being disabled by the fall, could not further arrest their flight.

 

They next encountered the sentinel in front of the prison, on Cary street. He happening to be immediately in their path, one of the number rushed upon him, and placing the muzzle of his gun close to the head of the guard, who in vain attempted to stop their egress, discharged the piece; the whole load entered the lower portion of the head, inflicting a frightful wound, and, of course, causing instant death. Three or four shots were fired in rapid succession at the fleeing murders, but with what success is not known.

 

A crowd of soldiers, on duty at the prison, were soon collected around the scene of this lamentable disaster. But here a singular incident occurred: -- the large dog (belonging to Captain Alexander, the commandant of the prison.) whom, doubtless, all have seen who have ever visited the Castle, took a position alongside the dead body and would permit no one to approach until the proper officers came up and relieved him of his charge; even then he followed the corpse into the building, seemingly determined to keep watchful guard over the remains until the last. This exhibition of affection tor the deceased soldier was truly touching and, indeed, remarkable.

 

The name of the deceased was Sutton Byrd, a private in Co. C, 53d North Carolina troops.

 

The names of the parties who committed this cold blooded murder are E. D. Boone, Edward Carney, Thomas Cole and John A. Chapman. The first is a noted ruffian, having made several escapes from different places, and was closely confined a few days ago for an attempted escape. The others were of a like character, being confined upon serious charges. Several recent attempts to break out by the last named parties had been discovered end frustrated by the officers.

 

The poor boy's father is here, and accompanies the remains to his home. Gen. Winder very properly and kindly ordered an escort to accompany the remains to the cars. When the lid of the coffin was about being placed on, the poor old father knelt down, and fixing his lips to the cold ones of his murdered boy, remained for some moments, apparently in prayer.

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Dispatch, Richmond VA., Monday Morning, November 16, 1863

 

Stampede from Castle Thunder - - Escape of Yankee Deserters -- Skillful Mining Operation.

 

Last Friday night, between forty and fifty Yankee deserters escaped from Castle Thunder by mining under the Northern wall of the Castle into a private lot, and escaping into Main street. The officers of the Castle, it seems, suspected that some of the prisoners were making an effort to mine out, and when the sentinels were posted that night each one was cautioned to vigilance, but especially those on the south side of Cary street.

 

The Castle, as our city readers will remember, fronts on the north side of Cary street, between 18th and 19th, and extends back to an alley about 15 feet wide, which is between Main and Cary streets. The miners, it seems, commenced their operations several days since, in the east end of the Castle, allotted to Federal deserters, there being about six hundred in that part of the building, and by working down near the north wall, and concealing the dirt under lot of old tobacco fixtures in their room, managed to escape detection.

 

Having the exact width of the alley, which was constantly paced by sentinels, they worked a subterranean passage under the wall and alley, and cutting an outlet-into a private yard, which was enclosed by high board fence, between forty and fifty of them escaped into the yard, and from thence through a private alley into Main street, before they were detected by one of the sentinels, who gave the alarm, rushed into the yard, and with the point of his bayonet put an end to the exodus of the departing Federals.

 

During Saturday and yesterday some few of the self-liberated prisoners were arrested, and it is not improbable that others of them may yet be picked up by our pickets and scouts.

 

Since writing the above we learn that the number who escaped was thirty-five, all of whom were Federal deserters but one, who was member of the 1st S. C. regiment. Of the thirty-five nineteen had been recaptured and returned to the Castle last night, and it was reported that five others were in custody of our cavalry, some twenty miles below the city.

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Daily intelligencer. Wheeling, VA., April 04, 1865

 

A Correspondent of the Washington Chronicle, who was confined six months at Castle Thunder, writes as follows of the condition of affairs lately at the rebel capital.

 

“In the hospital of Castle Thunder, in ward B in bed No. 45 lies an idiot boy, a Virginian, son of an aged widowed mother aged fifty years. This idiot is her last child. She had four, two fell at Fredericksburgh, and one at Gettysburgh. This idiot is now between seventeen and eighteen years old, and is to be shot next Tuesday for sleeping on his post. The boy is insane beyond all peradventure. The mother has no tie on earth but him. It is hard, but "discipline must be maintained an example must be made; and the idiot, not fit for a soldier, would do for an example." And what of the old mother? Judge Baxter, Confederate State Commissioner, says : "She'll be relieved of the charge, and the boy is fit for nothing else.” The boy's name is Nixon. More than 20 exchanged citizens now in our lines can witness to this. What on earth will Baxter be fit for when the Confederate State needs a Commissioner?

 

There is a cell in Richmond (Castle Thunder) known as cell No. 3. This cell is four feet eight inches high, McCool private in Harris' light dragoons, a man measuring six feet and half an inch, was put in the cell eleven months and a half….McCool had a ball and chain on his leg all the time, the ball weighing thirty-two pounds the chain ten pounds. The rain penetrates that cell, and on wet days McCool lay in the wet. Eleven months and a half passed, and he never once stood straight. He escaped five weeks since, through a hospital window. He had been transferred, sick.

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Red/Cyan (not red/blue) glasses of the proper density must be used to view 3D effect without ghosting. Anaglyph prepared using red cyan glasses from The Center For Civil War Photography / American Battlefield Trust. CCWP Link: www.civilwarphotography.org/

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