Hello Mr Purvis

I have not contacted the National Archieves yet about a Ship list. I went through a battle with them trying to get a correction for my GG grandfathers name from the record showing William J Kirby to William I Kirby. He went by Isaiah. He had a 1st cousin named William James Kirby that was also in Culpeppers Battery from SC and was released from Ship Island in 1864. He came back to SC married in 1864 and had children.I have met his descendents. So as you can see that would cause anyone of the two families mass confusion in the future.It caused the copiest confusion when the federal goverment wrote the compiled service records and now the wrong man is identified in grave 109 Ship Island Prison records. National Archieves told me the copiest often confused the I for a J but they said they do not make corrections to the records even if wrong.
I figured the mystery out and found other different family members of my Grandfather Isaiah's children. They had Isaiah's sword, a picture of him in uniform, a picture of his wife (my GG-Grandmother) and a copy of the original letter written with header "Ship Island Dec 17 1864". His wife divided these treasures up to each of his four children and they were passed down to descendents of today. I was jumping up and down when I put all of this together using Geneology. My family had forgotten the sacrifices of our fore fathers. My dad visited Civil War Sites all over this country and died never knowing about his great grandfathers history. The different family members I discovered never met or never knew one another before my research.I then got everyone together for a reunion with pictures made of Isaiah's sword.
I hope to keep adding to the story that is why I am searching for the small details like the Clinton Ship List. I read that is the ship that took the Confederate prisoners to Ship Island from New Orleans. I also think there might be more Ship Island documents in the archives that has never interested anyone like a list of sick prisoners or a role of some type.
William Isaiah Kirby died of dysentary at Ship Island.I imagine before he died he look like a Jewish concentration camp survivor that we see pictures of today. His youngest brother Reuben W.Kirby was killed at Stones River. His brother Simeon S Kirby was killed at Rivers Bridge in SC and the only brother James Thomas Kirby who survived the war was wounded at the battle of Atlanta by grape shot and discharged. Contrary to belief that all South Carolina families were plantation owners not a one of these four young South Carolina men or their father ever owned a slave according to family,Census or Court House records. Their great grandfather fought the British so I guess they felt compelled to fight against Northern Aggression.
If this amazing discovey of my family was possible for me to achieve then other people can do the same for their Confederate ancestors. I detailed all of this in hopes it might motivate someone to research their family. It takes hard dedicated work.
I will write the archieves again but I think they are sick of hearing from me ,,, Thanks Mike K.