This day 1862: Belle Isle Prison closes
On this day: September 23, 1862 – Belle Isle Prison on the James River in Richmond closes as Union prisoners are exchanged. There is plenty of good historical information from Encyclopedia Virginia: Belle Isle Prison, located on an island in the James River and connected by footbridge to Richmond, was a Confederate military prison during […]
On this day: September 23, 1862 – Belle Isle Prison on the James River in Richmond closes as Union prisoners are exchanged.
There is plenty of good historical information from Encyclopedia Virginia:
Belle Isle Prison, located on an island in the James River and connected by footbridge to Richmond, was a Confederate military prison during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Opened in June 1862 and closed in October 1864, the facility was subject to multiple closures and re-openings, which were contingent upon prisoner exchanges. While Richmond’s Libby Prison was set aside for Union officers, Confederate authorities used Belle Isle to hold noncommissioned officers and privates. It was originally intended only as a holding facility until more adequate prisons were available. A hospital for prisoners and an iron factory were located on the island, but no barracks were ever built for the prisoners. They were sheltered only by tents,and forced to withstand excessive heat in the summer, frigid temperatures in the winter, and multiple disease epidemics.
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