David wrote: >>>Those who were captured in late 1863 and 1864 were generally paroled after the war was over – primarily in June 1865 –usually with an annotation in their record relating to a Union General Order 109, dated June 6, 1865. >>Later men were transferred to Point Lookout, MD, where most were parole between May and July 1865.

John wrote: >>>Later men were transferred to Point Lookout, MD, where most were parole between May and July 1865.

We are mixing up terms. A military parole, the Johnson Amnesty Oath, and the War Department Oath of Allegiance are three distinct and separate things.

Confederate prisoners of war from the rank of captain down to private who were released under General Orders No. 109 were required to take the Oath of Allegiance in order to secure their release from captivity. They were not released on parole. They had the option to ask to take the Johnson Amnesty Oath after taking the standard Oath of Allegiance. Government paid travel was authorized for these men and their travel papers included a signed copy of the Oath of Allegiance or the Johnson Amnesty Oath and their travel authorization papers.

Officers holding the ranks of Major and above were not covered by General Orders No. 109. These men were forced to apply to the Office of the President via War Department channels for a Presidential Pardon. They had to submit a signed Johnson Amnesty Oath and a letter asking for a President Pardon. The release of field grade officers was strung out over June and July 1865. As they were ordered released, they were required to take the Oath of Allegiance and give their Parole of Honor to “to be of good behavior and commit no act of hostility, or perform any act either by word or deed prejudicial to the interest of the United States”.

I have presented a detailed analysis of the releases of Confederate military prisoners from Fort Delaware in relationship to the fall of Richmond on 2 APR 1865 and the four surrender agreements which eliminated all Confederate authority. Go to www.fortdelaware.org and scroll down to near the bottom and click on Going Home – A Discharge Time Line from April 1865 to January 1866. Very few Confederate prisoners were released from military prisons after the fall of Richmond on parole. And these cases involved some very specific circumstances.

Hugh