Quinn Elliott
POW G. W. Spears shot by guard/Camp Randall, Wisconsin
Sun Feb 25 00:29:46 2001


While searching through the OR for information on the Prisoner of war camp at Camp Randall, Wisconsin and looking for any residual information I could apply to the history of my Great Grandfather, Ishom Crews late of the 1st Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi infantry regiment (later at some date 4th Confederate)I located a goodly amount of information concerning two other members of the same Regiment from ALABAMA. It could be enlightening information for anyone that these soldiers may be ancestors of and for anyone else of general interest. All the information is from the Yankee side naturally, but very interesting. On the morning of 16 May 1862 Private G. W. Spears of Company B 1st Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi Regiment was shot and killed by one Private(?) Clarence Wicks 17 years old, of Company E 19th Wisconsin Volunteers. Private Spears along with other prisoners had came to the aid of H. W. Spears (brother of G.W Spears) whom was attempting to relieve himself (in an unauthorized sink-according to Yankees). When Private G. W. Spears shouted-to the effect of-and I quote the Official Records, "You Dammed Sons of Bitches" thats when Private Wicks killed him.

Further information on this-there was a Court of Inquiry held, so there is 3 or 4 pages of testimony available for the history of this. One almost has a first hand account of the details of this murder. Additionally I checked my list of graves at Camp Randall, there is a G. W. Spears as well as an A. F. Spears listed from Company B 1st Ala, Tenn, Miss. Could be that there were three Spears in the prison camp, as the OR lists G. W. and H. w Spears. The A. F. spears listed in the gravesite would/could be number 3.

Lt Colonel W. Hoffman Eigth Infantry USA was Commissary General of Prisoners. He had previously written that Camp Randall was a sorry place and wasn't pleased atall with the murder of the prisoner.

Of further amplyfying information, Colonel Hoffman ordered Camp Douglas to send Confederate surgeons to Camp Randall to administer aid to the many very sick and dying prisoners. Three Confederate surgeons arrived from Camp Douglas, and upon being denied parole of the camp and outside area, REFUSED TO TEND TO THEIR FELLOW SOLDIERS. They were ordered back to Camp Douglas around 7 May 1862. Although the conditions appear to have been deplorable and many had died, and sickness was rampant, some aid and tenderness from and shown by these gentlemen would have probably
eased a great amount of misery. My Great Grandfather Isham Crews died around 26 May 1862. The surgeons names were Saml. Johnson, M. H. Oliver, and A. G. Greenlee. I didn't locate them in the Tennessee list of surgeons. Its all in the OR Series 2 Volume 3 between pages 526 and 632.






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