It
seemed to Thomas Favors like an eternity had passed since the fight at
Chickamauga. Francis Downs had died in that hospital he’d been taken to after
the battle. His wounds hadn’t killed him. Like so many others, diarrhea had
erased the life that remained in his body.
2
General William Tecumseh Sherman was still in relentless pursuit of what little
remained of Confederate General Joseph Johnston’s forces (the General had
recovered from the wounds he’d received at Seven Pines and had been given
command of the Army of Tennessee in the interim). The Rebels had retreated
south after the Battle of Resaca, but the Yankees were following close on their
heels.
3
“Sherman is the devil himself,” Thomas proclaimed as they marched along. “I
wish he’d get off our ass, and leave us the hell alone,” one of the Bradley
boys volunteered. “That ain’t likely to happen,” grumbled Haddock.
4
A few minutes later, the column came to an abrupt halt just outside of Calhoun.
“Set up camp here boys,” the captain shouted. “Favors, you scout the perimeter
to the east; and Haddock you take a look around the other side,” he finished.
5
It was getting dark fast, and Thomas was hungry. He stepped on a branch and it
snapped beneath his feet with a loud pop. Thomas stopped for a moment and
listened. Could he hear voices in the distance? Had he become disoriented and
wandered into enemy lines?
6
Suddenly, his predicament was crystal clear. He could see two Yankee soldiers
in front of him. One was approaching him from the right and the other from the
left. He was trapped!
7
“You better drop that rifle, Reb!” the one closest to him shouted. As the
soldier bent down to pick it up, Thomas thought about running; but the other
soldier’s weapon was already pointed at his chest. “Follow us, and try not to
make so much noise,” the Yankee taunted.
8
Soon, Thomas was being questioned by his captors. “Is General Johnston planning
to make a stand here?” they asked. “I don’t know,” Thomas answered truthfully.
9
“He’s not going to be of much use, Sergeant,” barked the Yankee captain. “Put
him with the other prisoners for now.”
10
Then Thomas was escorted toward a campfire where a bunch of his comrades were
seated in silence and surrounded by armed Union soldiers. “You boys want some
good advice tonight?” one of the guards asked. “Don’t make any sudden moves, or
we’ll shoot your ass off!”
11
The next morning, Thomas and his fellow prisoners were loaded onto a train and
began what would turn into a long journey northward. It took several days, and
Thomas lost track of how many times they had changed trains. At least he was
eating a little better now than he had been the past few weeks.
12
Finally, their journey ended. It was near the end of May now, and the weather
was pleasant. The prisoners were unloaded from the box car that had transported
them there, lined up and searched.
13
Next, they were conducted within a large enclosure surrounded by a high plank
fence. Thomas could see row after row of white barracks as they marched into
the heart of Rock Island Prison, and he noticed the thin and watchful faces of
the current inmates as they stared blankly at Thomas and his comrades. Then
they came to a stop in front of one of the barracks that appeared to be empty.
14
A Union soldier stepped forward. “You men listen up! These are the rules that
you will obey while here. Any infraction of these rules is subject to
punishment, including being shot on the spot,” he began. When he was finished
reading the rules, the prisoners were dismissed.
15
Thomas stumbled listlessly toward the barracks and claimed one of the bunks for
his own. He suddenly felt very numb and weary. So, he laid down on the hard
plank bed before him, closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
16
The next thing he knew someone was poking at his side. “Are’n you gonna sleep
all day?” someone asked him. “Just gettin a little rest before supper,” Thomas
offered. “Don’t get too excited about that,” the man said as he pointed toward
the rear of the building.
17
Thomas got up, and they walked together into the cook-room. The provisions were
meager, but at least they had something to eat. That night, supper consisted of
a small piece of salted beef and some cornbread.
18
As Thomas stood there, devouring his plate. He noticed the guards walking back
and forth along the parapet that had been built along the inside of the fence.
19
“See that ditch yonder?” his new friend asked. Thomas shook his head. “Don’t
git too near that, or they’ll shoot your tail off,” the man warned as he took
another bite of cornbread.
20
Days dragged into weeks, and life went on for most of the folks within the
walls of Rock Island prison. “I wonder what everyone's doin back home.” Thomas
pondered. “They may think I’m dead. They may not even know I’m here!” he
realized.
21
He lay there on his bunk and watched the guards walking back and forth along
the parapet. The guards were Negro soldiers now. “What would they think of this
situation back home?” he wondered. Then he dozed off to sleep.
22
He was awakened a short time later by a loud pop and a thump. Thomas raised
himself up on one elbow and tried to get his bearings in the dark.
23
“What was that?” he whispered to someone standing between the rows of bunks.
“They just shot John dead in the doorway!” the man whispered back. Everyone
waited in the darkness, barely breathing.
24
“Good Lord, isn’t someone going to move him?” Thomas finally asked. “I ain’t
gittin shot!” the man in the bunk above him whispered. It was soon obvious that
everyone was thinking the same thing – the dead man lay in the doorway for the
rest of the night.
25
Summer passed and then autumn came and went. The Illinois winter was cold and
bitter. Thomas didn’t have sufficient clothing or blankets. And, although the
barracks had two coal stoves for warmth, the walls and windows still permitted
a good deal of cold air to filter into their midst. On particularly cold
nights, the men would huddle next to each other around the stoves and pray that
they wouldn’t freeze to death before morning.
26
“Will this ever come to an end?” Thomas wondered. A new year (1865) was about
to begin. How much of it would he be required to spend in this place? Then,
news came in February, Thomas was to be included in a prisoner exchange. He was
to be placed on a train for Maryland in the morning. “Home!” Thomas thought.
“If they ever let me go, I’m going home!” he decided.
27
Now Thomas Favors married Nancy Jane Downs, and they had a son named Albert.
28
Albert Favors married Frances Kelly, and they had children: Mittie, Edna,
Clara, Bud, Etha and Doyce.
29
Mittie Favors married first to William McMullen and later to John “Clip”
Miller.
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