The Brooks Battalion was raised from Union enlisted prisoners at the Florence Stockade in Florence, South Carolina. It was supposed to be raised entirely from foreign-born prisoners, but some native-born prisoners apparently claimed to be Englishmen and were mustered into the unit. The unit was recruited as prisoners were being sent from Charleston to Florence and as they arrived in Florence, and apparently were sent to Summerville in November, 1864. The prisoners were largely from Andersonville Prison, and had first been sent to Charleston to remove them from possible rescue by Sherman's troops after the fall of Atlanta. The consensus among the former Andersonville prisoners was that Florence was worse, and nearly 3,000 died at Florence before it was completely abandoned in March, 1865.

Sources conflict concerning how many of the Brooks Battalion companies were sent to Savannah. I have seen both 3 and 4 claimed, and one claim that 450 of the battalion were stationed at Savannah (that would be 4 companies). The remaining two or three companies at Summerville were sent back to Florence Stockade, and one galvanized Yankee sent back to the prison at that time said they were returned to the prison for stealing the chickens and stock of Summerville residents. Some of the members of the battalion may have died at Summerville--it is known that some died at Florence before they were sent to Summerville, but no casualty list exists for that unit. I have spent a great deal of time with the service records (such as they are) from the battalion, and suspect that many of the men enlisted under false names.

I am researching a book on several similar units raised by the Confederates. The research is some of the most difficult I have done, but I hope to have something out in 6 months to a year.