87. ALABAMIAN P.O.W. AND MEMBER OF "THE IMMORTAL 600" JOHN C. CHISHOLM Confederate officer, Captain of the 9th Alabama Inf'y, captured at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. Imprisoned at Johnson's Island July 18, 1863, transferred to Point Lookout Apr. 22, 1864, transferred to Fort Delaware June 23, 1864, allowed another officer to be exchanged in his place, sent by order of the Union army as hostage under the guns at Charleston Aug. 20, 1864, transferred to Ft. Pulaski Oct. 21, 1864, transferred to Ft. Delaware Mar. 12, 1865, died of chronic dysentery Mar. 16, 1865, the only Alabamian of the "Immortal 600" to die in captivity. Excessively rare A.L.S. "J. N. Chisholm" with holograph transmittal envelope addressed to his cousin in Baltimore, postmarked Jan. 28, 1865 and marked "Ex[amine]d", 1p. 4to., Fort Pulaski, Jan. 2, 1865. In part: "...I had a substantial earnest of the fact, 'I am not forgotten', in the shape of sundry cans, all in good condition, and containing many delicacies...The box has been under an embargo several days, but I believe the order have been changed...in regard to obtaining permission to send articles...You have doubtless heard we are now...reaping the glories and revelling in the horrors of retaliation. Ten ounces of corn meal and half a pint of pickles is our daily ration. You may well imagine our ingenuity is taxed to the utmost to make something palatable from so uncompromising a base...I shall become so disgusted at the sight of corn meal...The weather has been disagreeable here for several weeks...we have had no snow yet...We cannot tell how long we may remain here yet, though many thought a short time since we would soon be exchanged. It is quite difficult for us to learn anything about the matter...". Folds, else near fine. Forty days later, Chisholm would die of dysentery. In mid-1864 the inability of Union forces to overtake cities such as Charleston proved immensely frustrating, leading Union leaders such as Quincy A. Gillmore and J.G. Foster to continually bomb the city. Confederate efforts to protect their cities included housing prisoners within the city limits of Charleston. This began a dangerous game of tit-for-tat, with Gen. J.G. Foster sending Confederate prisoners from Ft. Delaware to the beach in front of Union batteries on Morris Island. The second group consisted of 600 Confederate officers. These 600 men eventually came to be known as "The Immortal 600". With the arrival of yellow fever in Charleston, the Union prisoners were moved out of Charleston and Foster responded in kind, sending the original Confederate prisoners to Fort Pulaski. The prisoners were now under the supervision of Union Colonel Philip P. Brown who promised better conditions at their new prison. Brown's requests for blankets, clothes, and food for the prisoners were ignored, however, due to a Federal policy of retaliation enforced by General Foster. These were the "horrors of retaliation" Chisholm mentions in his letter. $1,500 - 2,000