Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table

Thursday, 9 August; Howard Mann presents “The Alton Military Prison”. Howard G. Mann is currently a member of the Nashville Civil War Round Table. Previously, he was a member and former President of the Kansas City Civil War Roundtable (2000 to 2014) and was a member of the Harrisburg, PA Civil War Roundtable (1992 through 1995).

Howard’s great-grandfather, George Thomas Tracy, was a member of the 3^rdKansas Volunteers, Lane’s Kansas Brigade, and the 10^thKansas Infantry during the Civil War. Howard speaks on a variety of topics with a focus on his great-grandfather’s regiment as well as topics related to the Trans-Mississippi West in the Civil War.

From January 1864 through August 1864, the 10^thKansas Infantry was posted throughout St. Louis and specifically at Alton Military Prison where they guarded Confederate prisoners of war, civilians and federal prisoners at Alton Prison, Gratiot Prison and Myrtle Street Prison. The 10^thKansas was seen by the residents of these communities as battle tested veterans having served throughout the 1862 Campaign in Arkansas culminating in the December 7, 1862 battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Their controversial commander, Colonel William Weer, former Attorney General of the Territory of Kansas, was a former resident of Carlinville, Illinois and had ties to the area, although his actions would result in community and military dissention and, ultimately, a court-martial.

While material is plentiful on Alton Military Prison during the Civil War, a book on this topic has never been published. His presentation will shed light on an interesting topic.