Hayes Lowe
People involved with Cahaba Prison.
Mon Jul 30 14:00:49 2001


I have little information on members of the unit, but I do know that they were recruited specifically for the purpose of guarding the prison camp.

Capt. H.A.M. Henderson requested the permission for raising the unit. This request was made from Demopolis on 6/20/1963.

On 3/29/1864, Henderson had the Selma Morning Reporter print an order that all unassigned men were to report for duty at Cahaba. The order was published in subsequent issues of the newspaper. One identifies Henderson as Adjutant to Lt. Col. Henry C. Davis, so it is possible that he was not actually "in charge" of the prison itself. However, records of the time do indicate that he was involved with it, such as he was responsible for censoring the outgoing mail from the prisoners.

The surgeon for the facility was R.H. Whitfield.

The post chaplain was Josiah Barker, formerly of the 40th Alabama Infantry Regiment, in which he was appointed Chaplain October 4, 1862, to rank June 1, 1862. He resigned April 1, 1864, disabled for active field duty. It was after this service that he served as Chaplain of the prison.

On 10/16/1864, Inspector General Col. D.T. Chandler visited the prison to inspect it. He reported the guard unit as the "Trans-Mississippi Battalion", with 55 men; the Alabama Infantry Reserves, two companies totalling 82 men; the Alabama Cavalry Reserves, one company of 24 men; and 18 detailed men.

Doctors of Bell Tavern Hospital, utilized extensively by the prison, were Chief Surgeon Louis E. Profilet and Surgeon Isaiah H. White [and probably others]. Whitfield also worked in the hospital. Up to 22 detailed prisoners, at any given time, were used as attendents. As many as 25 other helpers, at any given time, manned the hospital in varioius capacitys. These include: Union deserter Charles Schallon, who was hired as a cook, and later enlisted in the CS Army; and Tom, a slave, who was hired as a nurse.

That's about all that I have in the way of names.