Description: DESCRIPTION DETAILS: A VERY NICE ADVERTISMENT FOR THE LIBBY PRISON, THE GREAT NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM, IN CHICAGO. Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army, taking in numbers from the nearby Seven Days battles (in which nearly 16,000 Union men and officers had been killed, wounded, or captured between June 25 and July 1 alone) and other conflicts of the Union's Peninsular campaign to take Richmond and end the war only a year after it had begun. As the conflict wore on the prison gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prisoners suffered high mortality from disease and malnutrition. By 1863, one thousand prisoners were crowded into large open rooms on two floors, with open, barred windows leaving them exposed to weather and temperature extremes. The building was built before the war as a tobacco warehouse and then used for food and groceries before being converted to a prison. In 1889, Charles F. Gunther moved the structure to Chicago and renovated it as a war museum. A decade later, the Coliseum Company dismantled the building and sold its pieces as souvenirs. The prison was located in a three-story brick tobacco warehouse on two levels on Tobacco Row at the waterfront of the James River. In 1861 was leased by Capt. Luther Libby and his son George W. Libby. They operated a ship's chandlery and grocery business. The Confederate government started to use the facility as a hospital and prison in late 1861. In 1862 they reserved it to hold Union officers because of the influx of prisoners. It contained eight low-ceilinged rooms, each 103 by 42 feet (31.4 by 12.5 metres). The second and third floors were used to house prisoners. Windows were barred and open to the elements, increasing the discomfort of occupants. Lack of sanitation and overcrowding caused diseases. From holding 700 prisoners in 1862, by 1863 the facility far exceeded the maximum capacity of 1,000. Mortality rates were high in 1863 and 1864, aggravated by Confederate shortages of food and supplies. Because of the high death toll, Libby Prison is generally regarded as second only in notoriety to Andersonville Prison in Georgia. In 1863, The New York Times published a description of "the Libby" from a purported prisoner diary entry. The next year, Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Captain I.N. Johnston, who escaped from Libby Prison, attempted to corroborate the article. (He testified that "...an African slave...did all in his power to restore us to freedom and home." "...the building is of brick, with a front of near one hundred and forty feet, and one hundred feet deep. It is divided into nine rooms; the ceilings are low, and ventilation imperfect; the windows are barred, through which the windings of James River and the tents of Belle Isle may be seen. Its immediate surroundings are far from being agreeable; the sentinels pacing the streets constantly are unpleasant reminders that your stay is not a matter of choice; and were it so, few would choose it long as a boarding-house." In March 1864, Union worries about the safety of Richmond and related security of the prisons, and the scarcity of resources peaked. The next month, Union officer Harland Richardson pleaded "once more" for a "Mr. Reilly," presumably on behalf of the U.S. War Department, to send provisions to Libby. Such requests were either delayed by Libby commandants or ignored, as the U.S. War Department funneled supplies into active Union lines. Confederates permitted a one-time Union shipment as their own provisions dwindled. During the late spring and summer, they evacuated most prisoners-of-war from Richmond to Macon, Georgia. Enlisted men were transferred to Andersonville while the officers housed at Libby would transfer to a new prison in Macon. From April to August 1864, Libby continued to be used, mostly as a place for temporary confinement of Union officers and a small number of Confederate military criminals. On September 18, The New York Times reported that approximately 230 Union officers remained in Libby Prison. Due to the Siege of Petersburg and the transfer of more prisoners-of-war, the number of inmates (officers and non-officers alike) surged. In autumn 1864, as the New York Times published President Lincoln's endorsement of the U.S. Sanitary Commission's "inquiry" into Confederate prison conditions and Union officer "martyrdom," Richmond dailies continued to report a resurgence of incarcerated numbers at Libby Prison. On October 10, 1864, the Richmond Sentinel reported on the arrival of "one thousand five hundred and fifty two Yankee prisoners" at Libby, 1114 of which "were sent to Salisbury, North Carolina, yesterday, in order to make room for other prisoners expected to arrive here" (438 of these prisoners remained in Libby). On October 14, according to Confederate prison records, officers corresponded on the fate of 82 out of 148 "Colored Troops" recently arrived at Libby Prison, bringing the total number of Union inmates to almost one thousand. A "Lieutenant-General Ewell" ordered "all negroes on hand not employed about the prison" turned over to "Brigadier-General Barton for work on the fortifications." The commandant believed that the troops "seemed pleased at being released from prison to be put to work," joining an additional "sixty-eight negro soldiers [who] were sent to the works on the 2d instant. These negroes were captured at Petersburg July 30, 1864. Eleven of them are free; the rest are slaves." The remainder of the "U.S. Colored Troops," 66 in total, either had perished or could not physically depart from Libby Prison due to ailments and wounds. Any wages for black prisoners "employed about the prison" and additional wages for fortification construction, aside from "a day's rations," remain subjects of scholarly inquiry. Union officer petitions for assistance, written in advance of prisoner exchanges or before the officers died, indicated mass suffering and deteriorating conditions within the already deplorable Libby. Newspapers on both sides of the war denounced atrocities ostensibly committed against prisoners by oppositional governments and prison commandants. Impulses and goals for these Richmond dailies' Union prisoner-of-war tallies remain subjects of scholarly inquiry. On March 30, 1865, The New York Times published a summation of Union captive numbers in Libby Prison, as well as the conditions of confinement, less than two weeks before the Battle of Appomattox Court House. The New York newspaper based its findings on the foregoing Richmond dailies and additional testimony. After the occupation of Richmond in 1865, Union authorities used Libby Prison for detention of former Confederate officers. They reportedly improved conditions over those that had been common for Union officers, or prisoners of war on both sides generally during the war. In April 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visited Richmond, Virginia and toured the city on foot. When he came across Libby Prison, a crowd of onlookers stated "We will tear it down", to which Lincoln replied, "No, leave it as a monument." In 1880, the building was purchased by Southern Fertilizer Company. Nine years later, it was bought by Charles F. Gunther, a candymaker. He had the building disassembled, and moved to Chicago, Illinois. There it was rebuilt and renovated to serve as a war museum (1889–1899). After the museum failed to draw enough crowds, the building was dismantled and was sold in pieces as souvenirs. ARTIST: UNKNOWNPLEASE SEE PHOTO FOR DETAILS AND CONDITION OF THIS NEW POSTER SIZE OF POSTER PRINT - 12 X 18 INCHES DATE OF ORIGINAL PRINT, POSTER OR ADVERT - 1893At PosterPrint Shop we look for rare & unusual ITEMS OF commercial graphics from throughout the world. We purchase them and add to our collection. We use our collection to photograph items for production of PosterPrints. The PosterPrints are printed on high quality 48 # acid free PREMIUM GLOSSY PHOTO PAPER (to insure high depth ink holding and wrinkle free product) Most of the PosterPrints have APPROX 1/4" border MARGINS for framing, to use in framing without matting. MOST POSTERPRINTS HAVE IMAGE SIZE OF 11.5 X 17.5. As decorative art these PosterPrints give you - the buyer - an opportunity to purchase and enjoy fine graphics (which in most cases are rare in original form) in a size and price range to fit most all. As graphic collectors ourselves, we take great pride in doing the best job we can to preserve and extend the wonderful historic graphics of the past. Should you have any questions please feel free to email us and we will do our best to clarify. We use USPS. We ship in custom made extra thick ROUND TUBES..... WE SHIP POSTERPRINTS ROLLED + PROTECTED BY PLASTIC BAG WE ship items DAILY. For multiple purchases please wait for our invoice... THANKS. We pride ourselves on quality product, service and shipping. POSTERPRINTARTSHOP Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution
Price: 21.95 USD
Location: Branch, Michigan
End Time: 2024-09-28T12:45:06.000Z
Shipping Cost: 8.95 USD
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