Enjoy your Ozarks' History.
Vincent
The Union now had their claim on a sick soldier,
Maj. John Woodward Methvin, in the military prison in Springfield, Missouri. On
the 12th of November, 1862, Methvin made a request for paper &
pen to write a letter for his appeal of a parole.
This letter, currently on file at the National
Archives, is the last documentation in Methvin’s own hand. Methvin appealed to the
Provost Marshall for his release stating, “I was brought here on the 20th
of October, last, and my health being somewhat impaired since I came here. I therefore ask parole with such bonds &
terms as your honor may suggest. My
certificate of appointment was taken from me at Ozark by the Adjutant or Sergeant
Major of that place if you can do anything for me that would better my
situation. The favor will be properly
appreciated. I am, lieutenant, with much respect, your obedient
servant.” His request was not granted, and the decision was made that he should
be transferred to infamous Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis, Missouri.
According to other Confederate POWs of that time,
the trip from Springfield to Rolla was a weary trek, and most men were made to walk
most of the way, and the roads were also very rough. There were no tents, and
the prisoners were compelled to lie on the ground every night without shelter. Sometimes
it would rain, and in the morning they would find themselves wet, muddy, and
nearly frozen. Those who were sick, injured, or incapable of walking from Rolla
to St. Louis were allowed to board the railcars in Rolla, since this town was
the terminus for the railroad into the Ozarks. By the time the exhausted
soldiers reached St. Louis, complete fatigue had set in.
According to one captured Confederate, “The weather
being extremely cold we had a very disagreeable trip indeed, nothing to eat for
twenty- four hours, and when we reached St. Louis we were as hungry as wolves.
We had to stand in the street for over an hour before we could be admitted to
the prison, during which time one poor fellow took a congestive chill and died.
Before our admission we were searched, and deprived of our money, knives,
papers, and in fact everything we had about us, (except my journal, which they
were unable to find.) We were then shown to our quarters, the upper room in the
round building-a very dark, gloomy place, and very filthy besides.”
There were about eight hundred prisoners in Gratiot, and more coming in every day from all parts of the country. There were only two stoves for over a hundred men. When awaking on the next morning, it was discovered that Gratiot is a very hard place, much worse than Springfield. Again a prisoner would testify, “the fare is so rough, it seems an excellent place to starve. Am not particularly fond of any prison, but must say that I give Springfield the preference over this.”
The prisoners were only allowed two meals a day, and
the cooks kept busy, even working in the dark. Some two or three hundred prisoners
would eat at a time, and the tin plates and cups were never washed from the
first to the last table. Breakfast consisted of one-fifth of a loaf of baker's
bread, a small portion of bacon, and a tin cup of stuff they called coffee. For
dinner the same amount of bread, a hunk of beef, and a pint of the water the
beef was boiled in, which was called soup. Sometimes a couple of boiled
potatoes were portioned out. Knives, forks and spoons were not allowed, and all
ate with their hands. Many would leave the table as hungry as they went to
it.
It was in this institution that Maj. Methvin was
confined. The hospital, which is the highest room in the prison, contained a
great many sick at this time. The Sisters of Charity would visit them daily,
ministering to them, and supplying them with such delicacies as their poor
appetites could receive, and their weak conditions required.
Initially in Arkansas, Maj. Methvin was sick with
pneumonia, and subsequently, he grew worse. In the last days of
his imprisonment, Methvin contracted meningitis and died. Methvin passed from
this life, away from his family and friends.
Death records from Missouri newspapers made mention that he died on the
10th of December, 1862. Major Methvin was buried at Jefferson
Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri. A monument was placed in the cemetery for him
on the 19th of July, 1864. His body still rests there to this day.
 |
| Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. |
 |
4861
Maj. J. W. Methvin 27 ARK. INF. C. S. A. |
Upon hearing the sad news, numerous friends of Major
Methvin made eulogizing comments concerning such a kind and considerate man. He
was a highly respected citizen before the Civil War, and the soldiers held him
in great esteem. Methvin was known to defend his men’s rights in his regiment;
he also put his life on the line several times in the battle. They truly
admired and respected him as an officer in their regiment. In speaking of his
death, Silas Turnbo said, “the Confederate Army lost a true and brave soldier
and Arkansas a noble citizen.”
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