Alan J. Pitts
Re: John B. Tims(Timms)
Wed Jun 6 00:05:36 2001


The service record indicates that he received clothing during the 2nd quarter of 1864, so it looks as if Private Timms had recently been enrolled and sent to a front-line unit. Federal POW records show that he was captured near Dallas GA, May 26, 1864, and sent to Rock Island IL. Arriving there on June 4, 1864, he was admitted to the prison hospital on Aug. 31, 1864, suffering from an inflamation of his liver. Private Timms was assigned to barrracks #62 where he died on Jan. 24, 1865. Prison officials stated the cause of death to have been chronic diarrhea and buried him in grave #1818.

This month's History Book Club mailer includes a flyer on a new book about Rock Island prison camp. Published by a directional Illinois University, I judge by the tone of the review that readers will be pleased to learn that Rock Island really wasn't such a bad place after all. Many wayward Southerners greatly enjoyed their stay at Rock Island! Yes indeed. Rebels who entered the gates of this exclusive hideaway on Lake Michigan counted themselves fortunate to receive all expense-paid vacations here as a courtesy of the Federal government.