War Prison Diary of Harry White (Transcription)
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Title
War Prison Diary of Harry White (Transcription)
Subject
White , Harry , 1834-1920--Diaries . White , Harry L. , 1834-1920--Military service . White , Richard , 1826-1865--Military service . Libby Prison (Va.) . Salisbury Prison (N.C.) . Prisoners of war--South Carolina--Columbia . United States--History--Civil War , 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons--Personal narratives . Prisoner-of-war escapes--Confederate States of America--History--Personal narratives . Prisoners of war--Health and hygiene . United States--History--Civil War , 1861-1865--Sources .
Description
Transcription of a diary that Harry White kept while he was being held in three Confederate prisons--Libby in Virginia , Salisbury in North Carolina , and Richland Prison in South Carolina . The diary begins on December 15 , 1863 in Libby Prison in Richmond and ends on June 11 , 1864 with Harry still imprisoned . Among Harry's entries is a description of his escape with four other officers in May 1864 as they were being moved by train to Richland Jail in South Carolina . He also describes prison conditions including the whippings of prisoners , poor food , boredom , lack of information about the war , etc. [Harry is subjected to harsher treatment and is not released in prisoner exchanges because his captors know that he is a senator in Pennsylvania whose vote , if he were released , would affect Pennsylvania's deadlocked Senate and the state's diminishing support for the war.] Harry compares prisons in South Carolina with Libby Prison in Virginia . In South Carolina the treatment is more humane--the food is better ; he has access to books ; and, on Sundays , there may even be a sermon from a local Presbyterian minister . Imprisonment , however , is difficult to bear--he suffers from depression and a constant yearning for family and friends . On May 23 , 1864 he learns of the imprisonment of his brother Richard . He worries about Richard's condition and the impact of his capture on their parents who now have two sons in Confederate prisons .
Creator
White, Harry
Date
1863-1864
Time Period Covered
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Contributing Institution
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Sponsorship
This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER Library: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Language
English
Contact
For additional information contact: The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, PA, 621 Wayne Avenue, Indiana, Pa 15701, 724-463-9606. Email ichistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Indiana, Pennsylvania in the Civil War
