Description:

CONFEDERATE PAROLE AND EXCHANGE FOR LT. COL. W. T. AVERY
A very rare parole pledge in the form of an A.D.S. of William Tecumseh Avery, a Lt. Col. in the 1st Regt. Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi Infy., 4th Confederate Infy. 1p. 4to., "Headquarters Hoffman Battalion Depot Prisoners of war near Sandusky, Ohio", Aug. 26, 1862, in which Avery signs a letter promising to report to either a parole camp or military prison. In part: "...W. T. Avery Lt. Col. 1st Ala. Tenn. Miss a prisoner of war held by the Government of the United States hereby pledge my parole of honor as an officer and gentleman that I will proceed via Cairo & the Miss. River to or near Vicksburg Miss. and present myself in person on or before the 10th of Sept. next to the Confederate Officer appointed to receive Confederate prisoners of war in exchange for Lt. Col. A. Y. Johnson 28th Ky. Inf. now on parole on which day the exchange will be complete and that I will not do any act or thing directly or indirectly against the government of the United States during the existence of this parole nor furnish any information what so ever obtained during the existence of this parole to the enemies of the United States...". Approved by Maj. W. S. Pierson, Homman's Battalion, Johnson's Island. Avery's exchangee was Lt. Col. A. Y. Johnson who had been captured by John Hunt Morgan while guarding the L & N Railroad in Gallatin, Tenn. Interestingly, Avery would not meet the deadline noted, for on verso is the docket by W. S.: "Avery has been detained at this post for nine (9) days waiting for the fleet to go down the river. The detention has not been his fault but by my orders...". Avery was a lawyer and member of the State House of Representatives for Tennessee who served in the Confederate Army, surrendering himself on Apr. 8, 1862 at Island No. 10. In the early stage of the War, neither side had capacity to handle the large number of prisoners that were captured. With the fall of Fort Donelson, Island #10 and other places, the Union permitted Southern officers to sign a letter like this one pledging their honor to report to a parole camp or military prison. Parole camps were administered by their own government, with Vicksburg obviously controlled by the Confederates. Later, paroles were extended to enlisted men who signed printed forms documenting their parole. This was one method to keep captured men from returning to the fight while not having to house and feed them in prison camps. After the fall of Vicksburg, the parole system began to decline, and was largely abandoned by Grant in 1764 in order to deny manpower to the Confederacy. With voluminous research accompanying the document. Showthrough from text on verso, folds and toning, overall very good condition.

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December 16, 2010 11:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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