Now this is cool

[Mojo1842]

Re: Now this is cool

If you look all the way to the left at the Corporal what kind og hat is that?

You mean the one that kind of looks like one of those fur hats that you might find on a Russian? Seems to me that from all the blankets/ frocks/ overcoats that this image was struck at least late fall, in which case a fur cap wouldn't be out of the question.

[HighPrvt]

Re: Now this is cool

It's impossible to be certain, but a couple of the prisoners look to be female!?!

[Pvt_Jack_Bauer]

Re: Now this is cool

It's impossible to be certain, but a couple of the prisoners look to be female!?!

Great find indeed!!! I wish alot of sites had this feature and yes it does look like some are female but I know alot of amish around my area and sometimes when the men have their hair cut they can look like ladies from a distance so this could be what you are seeing. I just cant see them peppering a few ladies into a pen with a few hundered reb POW's. It would be mass chaos. Just my thought.

[BobbyHughes]

Re: Now this is cool

The guys behind the axe wielders are carrying carpenters squares. Untill I looked really close, I thought the guys in the lighter jackets might have been VRC, but I am not so sure as they do look more like RDs, and I had to guess, now why would some VRC guards be down among all those prisoners, and two of em (the prisoners) with hatchets or axes.....:tounge_sm

[tsgalloway]

Re: Now this is cool

Very interesting photo. Thanks for sharing.

[arthurlee]

Re: Now this is cool

Wow! Every hat, coat and trousers possible. A bunch of rebs standing around with their hands in their pockets, now that is something. It appears the footware are boots for the most part. I could spend hours on this one. Thanks for the post.

Artie Maxwell
Shepherd Texas

[BrownBlanketMess]

Re: Now this is cool

I would highly recommend reading George Levy's book "To Die in Chicago: Confederate Prisoners at Camp Douglas 1862-1865" According to his research the photograph in question and another are housed in the Chicago Historical Society (know the Chicago History Museum) collections. Levy states on page 208 that this photograph is of "Enlisted men in Prison Square." There is another photograph shown on page 208 of "Confederate officers in front of sutler store in Prison Square, circa September 1864." This image is taken exactly in the same position as the one viewed here except for the water and fire hydrants in the forground are viewed more easily. The building to the right in the image posted on the forum is of the sutler store.

Searching the encyclopedia site I did not find the image of Confederate Officers--unless I overlooked it! It too is a very nice and revealing image.

Get ahold of Levy's book it is well worth the read.

Steve LaBarre
Brown Blanket Mess
Hodge Podge Mess
Cornfed Comrades
WIG

[ContinentalMorganGuard]

Re: Now this is cool

The men up front appear to be VRC, they have light shell jacket's with piping, dark chevrons, and Federal style forage caps with hat brass. The key to me is the number and size of the buttons on the coats, as the VRC wore 12? button shells with the cuff size buttons which appears to be what they have. I'd be real interested in knowing if they are VRC or prisoneers for sure, as the various belts they are wearing does throw one off, as well as being " in the mix" with the prisoners. Thoughts?