You wrote: >>> Vicksburg POWs were paroled with their organizations and remained within the ranks. Many might have wandered off on their own, but, most marched out of Vicksburg as a military organization under their proper officers.<<<

Vicksburg Confederate soldiers, officers and men, were paroled as individuals in their own camps within the lines at Vicksburg. This took place over 5 days. They were not allowed to march out in any semblance of order or military formation, and specifically not under the command of their own officers. The objective of the Federal military authorities was to encourage the men to go home, not back to the Confederate army. The paroled prisoners were marched under guard - they walked along in unorganized groups of comrades - out to Big Black Bridge and were set free of Federal authority on the east end of the bridge. The roadway from Vicksburg to Big Black Bridge was lined on both sides with Federal soldiers from surrounding camps who wanted to get a personal look at these defenders of Vicksburg. The accounts I have read indicate that the Confederate paroled prisoners were treated with silent respect by the Federal troops gathered to see them.

This comes from the OR correspondence and from personal diaries that I have read.

You wrote: >>> Pemberton after much discussion with his superiors, allowed furloughs of 30 days, at which time, men were to report back to their commands at an exchange camp, Enterprise, Miss; in the case of the 37th Miss. Here they were remained until the unit was exchanged.<<<

Part of the discussion between Pemberton and General Johnston at Jackson concerned keeping the paroled Vicksburg POWs south of the railroad to avoid demoralizing the men still in the ranks defending Jackson. However, the paroled Confederate officers coming out of Vicksburg had little or no control over the men. Most of the Vicksburg parolees headed for home without going first to the Parole Camp at Enterprise. Those that did report immediately after their release from Vicksburg were given the 30 day furlough which was deemed to apply to all, even those who did not report directly to Parole Camp from Vicksburg.

The Confederates in what later became the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana were badly demoralized by the loss of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and the abandonment of Jackson - all in the space of two weeks. The same was true of the Trans-Mississippi troops who had been paroled at Vicksburg and crossed the Mississippi River to go home after their release from Vicksburg.

Later, when enough men from a specific unit had reported into Parole Camp to re-organize the unit, the men were declared exchanged and the unit restored to active duty status. I know that many will want to argue this point - the wording of the declaration of exchange orders coming from Colonel OULD seems to suggest that whole units were declared exchanged - but that was not his meaning. In the case of the Vicksburg and Port Hudson parolees, Judge OULD was just cutting corners with his exchange notification correspondence. Instead of sending massive lists with names checked off, he simply authorized the return to duty of units as soon as he was told that enough men had reported into parole camp to reform the unit. We need to keep in mind that other absentees who were not Vicksburg parolees also came back during this time - perhaps not many, but some. Using Confederate parolee head counts supplied by telegraph, he was actually counting off Federal names from a large number of Federal paroles not yet used in the exchange accounting which he had gathered in Richmond. When he ran out of these unused individual Federal paroles, he stopped declaring Vicksburg and Port Hudson parolees exchanged. You will find that in the OR as well.

Much confusion resulted and the Vicksburg parolees at home in the Trans-Mississippi were not officially declared exchanged and returned to duty until August 1864. A list of men who reported into various parole camps in Louisiana before 1 APR 1864 was sent to Richmond for the exchange accounting. Identified in the records as "Allen's Brigade", these Vicksburg parolees were not officially declared exchanged until the 24 JUL 1864 Cartel between the Trans-Mississippi Department and the Federal Department of the Gulf which included Federal prisoners captured during the Red River Campaign.

The military parole was an individual promise (sworn personal oath) to cease and desist until properly exchanged and could only be relieved on an individual basis. The men understood this and understood that Confederate authorities could not require them to perform any military duties until they were declared exchanged. That is why they went home instead of directly to parole camp.

Those who did not report into Parole Camp for a proper exchange and return to the ranks dishonored their sworn oath to serve the Confederate States that was part of their enlistment and enrollment process. This failure to return would later cost many of these men a well deserved Confederate pension.

Getting the Vicksburg parolees back into the ranks proved difficult and this fact should not be glossed over in our efforts to honor and remember their service. Giving "cover" to those who did not return to the ranks after their Vicksburg parole diminishes the honor due to those who did return.

Hugh