The Brownell name comes from the Peter Wilson letter as well. (if we are speaking of the same letter). A complete collection of his letters along with a wartime diary of one of his companions has now been released in a new hardback book containing both manuscripts in one volume. It contains several letters written from or about Camp Ford, as well as an essay -or speech- written by one of the other men from the 14th about his own captivity at Camp Ford. Knowing you to be the best researcher on Camp Ford we wanted you to know about the book. It has been put out by the Historical Museum from the town where Peter Wilson lived.
Go to traermuseum.com for more information.
About Shropshire: He and the other men of the 14th Iowa had previously been captured from the Hornets' Nest at Shiloh and then paroled and exchanged. When they were captured again at Pleasant Hill almost exactly two years later to the day, they seem to have feared at first that they might face harsher punishment even execution as parole violators, even though they had indeed been officially exchanged. They had no idea if their names were on a list of former prisoners. Joel Shropshire therefore used his middle name Spence as an alias calling himself Joel Spence when he was questioned.