J M Thornton

Striking Out For Dixie J M Thornton

Camp Butler Confederate prison, near Springfield, Illinois was founded on August 2, 1861, as a training ground for Union troops. It was composed of three separate encampments plus a fifteen acre site upon which the Confederate soldiers were confined. Of 5,178 confederate prisoners held at Camp Butler in 1862 and 1863, 201 escaped and 866 died. On February 22nd, 1862, the first of the Camp Butler prisoners, captured at the battle of Fort Donnelson, Tennessee, were transported to Springfield by steamboat and train On April 8th, 1862, the 1st Alabama regiment was made prisoners of war at island no. 10, on the Mississippi river and the greater part of the regiment was taken from there to Camp Butler, located four miles from Springfield, Ill., where we arrived Saturday, April 12th. This prison was not enclosed on our arrival, but in May, of 1862, a twelve foot high plank fence was built to serve as a protection against the escape of prisoners. Escape was so frequent and the authorities were confused that their reports usually indicated the dates of the escapes as "unknown". J. M Thornton from Talladega tells the story to Our Mountain Home Newspaper of the escape of two Confederate prisoners and their experiences while on the run.