By: Dana Foster

Many of the items on display at the National Prisoner of War Museum were modified by their owners or made by them during their imprisonment. One of the modified artifacts not on display is a handkerchief that belonged to Corporal Joseph Napoleon Boudreau, Battery C, 33d Field Artillery. Corporal Boudreau was a POW at Stalag IIIB and Stalag VIIA from 1943 – 1945: he was only 22 years old when he was captured in Africa. Stalag IIIB was in Furstenberg, Germany (about 35 miles south of Berlin); Stalag VIIA was in Moosburg, Germany (northeast of Munich).

The Napoleon Boudreau Collection includes a hand-drawn map on a handkerchief (ANDE 4215). This map illustrates Corporal Boudreau’s experiences during WWII, from where he was captured in Africa to where he was imprisoned as a POW in Germany. There are mentions of his family – the two hearts next to the scroll are for his wife Florence and their two children; the food he ate; and the men he was imprisoned with. This object was originally donated to the park inside a picture frame. It was separated from the frame in 2006 to perform conservation treatments to stabilize the object for long-term preservation. The water damage, ink runs, and stains are still noticeable, but the fabric has been stabilized to prevent further deterioration.

Andersonville Curatorial staff are grateful to have the opportunity to share artifacts from the National Prisoner of War Museum’s collection with the public through this newsletter. Please visit the park’s website to view additional content about the site’s museum collection. Museum Technician, Christine Hoffmark-Coffey, recently started a new video series about museum objects – “Off the Shelf”. Additionally, a virtual exhibit will be added within the next few months.  Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

By: Christine Hoffmark-Coffey

The past several months have seen several additions to Andersonville National Historic Site’s collection. The Museum was honored to receive donations from six different donors all with a commonality: their ancestor was here at Andersonville. They include diaries, letters, personal effects and mementos. These objects hold a special significance to the families who generously donated the items to The National POW Museum.

Some objects the museum received include two letters from Clara Barton’s office concerning the body of Ozias D. Page. Ozias Page was a private with Company F, 146th Regiment, New York Infantry. He was captured on May 5th, 1864, and is buried in Grave number 9319. The two letters are an important part of Andersonville in that they highlight the efforts made after the war had ended to identify the bodies of those who died at Andersonville. We also received two small mementos from relatives of Charles White and Charles M. White who were a father and son part of Company M. 5th Regiment Indiana cavalry. During their time at Andersonville, they carved a small hatchet made of bone and a small basket made from a peach pit. Both men were exchanged on April 1, 1865, and took these small mementos home with them and they have now come back full circle.

One of the final Civil War related donations we recently received was some hunting materials that belonged to POW James Otto. James Otto was a Corporal in Company E 10th Regiment New York Cavalry. He was captured on November 19th, 1863, and is buried in grave number 656. James Otto’s hunting materials are a wonderful insight into what some of the cavalry soldiers might have had on their person before capture. It is uncertain how many of the objects we received were with James Otto when he came to Andersonville, but we can use his belongings as an interpretation of what might have been a part of a soldier’s kit. Otto’s canteen, forks, wallet, minie balls, wallet, cap pouch and powder flask could have easily been a part of any cavalry soldier’s kit. The donation also included some beautifully tooled leather shot flasks with hunting motifs comprising rabbits and game birds on two of the flasks and a hunting dog mid run on another.

Donations like these are incredibly important. They allow us to breathe new life into an individual’s name and history that could have otherwise been just another number on a page. With these new donations, we now can share more stories about the men who were imprisoned at Andersonville and bring another piece of the past into the present not only for future researchers but also for the public as well. The new donations will be out on display as a temporary exhibit, part of our yearlong programing for the 160th anniversary of the Civil War. We sincerely hope you can join us and come see for yourself these unique items.

After the Civil War, the fate of Andersonville prison site was not clear. In 1896, the property was given to an organization called the Woman’s Relief Corps (WRC), an auxiliary group of the Union veterans organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The WRC was tasked with preserving and beautifying the site. The women quickly set about transforming the neglected property, formerly the site of tremendous suffering, into a place of commemoration and reflection.

This badge is currently on display in our temporary exhibit featuring these dedicated women. Worn by members of the WRC, it features the Maltese Cross attached to a bar with a red, white and blue ribbon. At the center of the cross the badge features five figures who are flanked by two American flags and wreathed with stars. The figures represent: the Goddess of Liberty, a soldier, a boy, a woman, and a child.

The soldier symbolizes fraternity. As an auxiliary group of the GAR, the WRC sought to acknowledge the tradition of brotherhood. The boy symbolizes loyalty to the United States of America, and hope for the future of the country. The woman represents motherhood, giving, mercy and charity. The child is emblematic of the WRC’s dedication to inspiring patriotism in future generations. The cross also features the year the WRC was founded, 1883 and the letters “FCL” which stand for “Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty,” the motto of the WRC.

Come take a look at this item and others related to the WRC at the temporary “Women Who Saved Andersonville” exhibit currently on display in the National Prisoner of War Museum.

 

While assigned to catalog the collection of John D. Vecchiola, I came across an object simply labeled as “Backpack”. Expecting something like a modern backpack what I found instead was a square, forest green bag with a brown and black cowhide flap. This piqued my curiosity. How had John Vecchiola acquired this item? By reading his accession file, I learned about his time as a POW, his escape from captivity and finally, how he came across this backpack.

John Vecchiola was a ball turret gunner on the B-17 “Pappy Yokum”, part of the 15th Air Force, 817th Bomb Squadron, 483rd Bombardment group. He flew bombing missions over German held areas from Italy. On July 30, 1944, flak tore off the tail section of his plane.  He was captured and then brought to Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow. During a forced march further into Germany, he managed to escape with a fellow POW, avoiding capture for five days until meeting up with the advancing British 11th Armored Division. During his days evading capture, John Vecchiola had come upon a dead German soldier and taken his boots and backpack.  The backpack cannot go on exhibit without extensive conservation. The leather piping on the sides of the cowhide flap is peeling off and the canvas fabric that makes up most of the backpack is fragile and stained.  To help preserve the condition of the backpack, I made a special box to keep the bag stabilized so that none of the spots that are actively deteriorating are rubbed. I also made a custom insert for the backpack to rest on so there is less strain on it.  Someday this backpack may have its moment within the museum on display. Until then it has been fascinating to learn and share with you the history of this object.

 

“I now sit down with a heart of sadness…”

By: Andrew R. Miller, Park Ranger

The latest donation to the National Prisoner of War Museum collections is a set of 26 letters written during the Civil War by Private David T. B. Long to his family, primarily to his parents Jacob and Barbara Long, of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

David Long enlisted on October 15, 1861 and was mustered into service as a private in Company I, 101st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The regiment participated in early battles of the Peninsula campaign in 1862 before being transferred to the North Carolina coast.

David Long’s letters are filled with observations of life, people, his environment, and his opinions. David’s service was frequently interrupted by prolonged sickness. Writing from the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital, David wanted to let his family know he was sick, but he remained hopeful. “I have been under the care of the doctor for some time now but have been out for some time, but I think that I will be able to go to camp in a few days.” David hoped he would be spared to come home and be with his family once again. “Mother and Father, brothers and sisters, if God spares my life health and strength to get home once more then I will live and die with you.”

David Long reenlisted in Plymouth, North Carolina, as a veteran volunteer, in January 1864, for three more years of service. While he was stationed in North Carolina, David wrote extensively about his experiences. David’s final letter in the collection is dated in March 1864.

One month later, Private Long’s regiment was part of the Federal garrison stationed at Plymouth that was captured in April 1864. Since David was an enlisted man, he was sent to Camp Sumter. The large group of prisoners arrived at the very end of April and beginning of May 1864 to Camp Sumter prison camp. Dubbed the “Plymouth Pilgrims,” due to their new uniforms, these men fell victim to the infamous “raiders” who deprived these men of their basic essentials for survival. Many of Plymouth Pilgrims died from a variety of maladies at Andersonville including David Long who succumbed to disease on July 30, 1864. His remains were brought to the cemetery where he lays today.

POW Descendants Visit Museum’s Curatorial Building To See Donation

By: Christine Hoffmark-Coffey

Recently, Andersonville National Historic Site’s Collections had the pleasure of hosting Amy Fogel and her mother, Colleen Fogel who requested to see the donation made by Robert Calahan, a US Army WWII POW. Mr. Calahan was Colleen’s father and Amy’s grandfather.

The Fogel’s drove south from North Carolina to surprise Colleen on her birthday week to see her father’s donation to the museum. Mr. Calahan donated his jacket, his letters, a pouch he made while a prisoner, a matchbook, a small bible, and his memoir about his time as both a soldier and a POW during WWII, which he wrote with the help of an interviewer named D.R. Stevenson.

Mr. Calahan was a Sergeant First Class when he was captured in Percy, France. He was captured on August 1, 1944, and liberated by Russian forces on January 31st, 1945, after being imprisoned at Stalag III C, near the border of Germany and Poland. During his capture, Mr. Calahan’s Eisenhower Jacket was replaced with “an old English Jacket to replace our Army jacket that was taken from us when we were captured. The POW Jacket has a black triangle on the back that denotes you are a POW.”  The jacket is now a part of the collection at Andersonville with the black triangle still on the back in between the shoulders of the jacket.

Amy and her mother were most interested in the letters Mr. Calahan donated. Colleen remembers her father as a very private man who didn’t share much about his experiences as a POW, so these letters were very interesting to them, as it gave a fuller picture as to their father and grandfather’s time as a POW. It’s always a wonderful thing to have the family members of donors come and visit their loved ones’ donations and we always welcome their visits.