I think you have explained pretty clearly why John S. Rose of the 30th Arkansas Infantry (aka 5th Trans-Mississippi Infantry aka 5th Arkansas Infantry) who was paroled at Vicksburg is not likely to be the John Rose that Larry Burford is researching. Great work! Thank you! And I will alert Larry to your posting.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse to death, but here’s a new wrinkle in how John Rose got to be inside Vicksburg and paroled there. Your comment on the Madison, Arkansas POWs being sent from St. Louis to Vicksburg drew my attention.

Vicksburg ceased to be an exchange delivery point at the end of December 1862 when it became the object of Grant’s 1862/1863 campaign to open the Mississippi River. The reasoning was that any POWs delivered for exchange at Vicksburg could be easily used to reinforce Pemberton’s army defending Vicksburg. I can find the War Department orders, or a telegram directing such if you are interested. All western POWs thereafter were to be sent across country and delivered at City Point, Virginia on the James River.

I examined Private John S. Rose’s Compiled Military Service Records (Company B, 30th Regiment). The regiment was noted to be Hart’s Regiment, Arkansas Infantry on the company muster roll card for March & April 1863 on which Rose was noted to have deserted on 8 JUL 1862. This is the only Confederate record in his file. The remaining records in this 30th Arkansas file are Federal POW records. All of the Federal POW records identify him as John S. Rose, Private, Company B, 5th Arkansas Infantry which reflects what Rose and the other soldiers called this regiment, as you have pointed out, and what he told his captors.

A report for Gratiot Street Military Prison dated 8 APR 1863 states that he was captured in Madison County (another record says St. Francis County), Arkansas on 7 MAR 1863 and arrived at Gratiot Street MP on 20 MAR 1863. On 2 APR 1863 he was forwarded from St. Louis by the Provost Marshal General, Department of Missouri towards “Allen’s” Point, Virginia in response to orders from the Commissary General of Prisoners in Washington, DC. This Roll of Prisoners of War was dated 4 APR 1863 at St. Louis and endorsed (see footnote to the CMSR card) as follows: “City Point, Va. April 9th, 1863. Received of Captain John E. Mulford, USA, Four hundred and fifty two (452) Prisoners of War, two Surgeons (2) and one dead body.” The endorsement was signed by Captain W. H. Hatch, PACS. A further notation states that these 452 men were declared exchanged 5 MAY 1863. Mulford and Hatch were the Federal and Confederate exchange agents who met at City Point on a regular basis to hand over POWs.

A declaration of exchange involved an extensive accounting process. They traded names on lists, not men getting on and off the boats as common wisdom would have us believe. Returning Confederate POWs in the east went either to hospitals in the Richmond/Petersburg area, or to parole camps in the area to await a declaration of exchange. In parole camp they were issued clothing and following their declaration of exchange sent to rejoin their units. Delivered to Confederate authorities at City Point, Virginia (east of Petersburg on the south bank of the James River), it is highly likely that these 452 POWs from the western armies were processed through a parole camp at Petersburg and then forwarded immediately by rail back to the western theatre. Vicksburg had been the exchange delivery point established under the Dix-Hill Cartel in July 1862 and the Confederates probably still considered it as such even though the Federals did not. It would seem logical that these 452 men be sent to a parole camp in Vicksburg to await their declaration of exchange.

It would not have taken them more than 3 weeks to make the trip by rail from City Point to Vicksburg. They could have easily arrived in Vicksburg during the first week in May. The declaration of exchange was agreed to on 5 MAY 1863 at City Point and authorities in Vicksburg would have been notified by telegram. The men would then have been returned to active duty status. However, Vicksburg authorities were in utter chaos because of Grant’s crossing at Grand Gulf and extra hands might have been retained to help man the defenses of Vicksburg.

If you will share with me the names of the other men of the 30th Arkansas Infantry who were captured at Madison, Arkansas on 7 MAR 1863 and ended up in Vicksburg, I would like to examine their CMSR as well. I am slowly building up data to interpret the flow of Confederate POWs back to their own side. I think this shipment of POWs across country is a rather amazing part of the POW experience.

Again, thanks for all of your help!!

Hugh