Alan J. Pitts
Different agreement....
Tue Feb 27 12:57:45 2001


Each agreement was different. In addition, different rules applied to prisoner-of-war exchanges from time to time. In general, there was a disagreement about the exchange of U.S.C.T., which the Confederacy preferred not to recognize. As a result, exchanges from some date in 1863 until February of 1865 were halted. You may be interested in looking at correspondence regarding prisoners of war in the Official Records, Series II (not Series I):

"The 2nd Series will contain the correspondence, orders, reports, and returns, Union and Confederate, relating to prisoner of war, and (so far as the military authorities were concerned) to State or political prisoners."

As you know, Pratt was released at Point Lookout and xchanged at City Point Va about March 6, 1865. A letter of recommendation for his promotion to Major exists in his file, but no record that this was acted upon or that he returned to duty. Pratt appears on a list of students and graduates of the University of Alabama, 1855.

As you mention, he was the senior captain and would've been in line for promotion.

• Parolef prisoners at Port Hudson — Wayne Adams, Tue Feb 27 20:14