My Great Great Grandfather, Thomas B. Boyd

In the past five years I have become very interested in family genealogy. One of the most interesting people in my family history is Thomas Boyd. He was a Confederate soldier and member of a group of prisoners of war who, because of the cruel treatment they received, became known as the "Immortal 600". The brutality they received from their Union captors was in response to Confederate cruelty at prison camps such as Andersonville. Last week I met, via the Internet, a distant cousin who is also a descendent of Captain Boyd. He provided me the most remarkable document. Apparently in 1912 Thomas sat down with the county’s notary public and dictated an affidavit that describes his 1863 capture and his ensuing experience as a prisoner of war. This is the only known document containing his own words.

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November 27, 1912

Decatur, Texas

To all whom these come, Greetings. I Thomas Boyd hereby certify that I was Captain, Company B, 1st Mississippi Regt. Infantry, C.S. Vol. and was taken prisoner at the surrender of Port Houston [Hudson], Louisiana on or about July the 9^th, 1863 and was confined to prison at Johnson Island until February 1864. Then taken out and sent to Point Lookout, Maryland, kept there about two months and sent to Fort Delaware, confined there until on or about the 20^th day of August 1864 when six hundred C.S. officers were taken out and put on old ship Crescent. We were quartered down below water. The Crescent had been used as a transport and was filthy beyond by knowledge to fully describe and vermin crawling on the floor. We were taken to Mares Island after several days and were transferred to other transports that was but little better, if any. Short rations and bad water to drink amidst all the filth on boats. Why all this inhumane treatment we could not tell. On or about the 8^th of September we were put in the stockade on Mares Island in front of the Federal battery of heavy guns planted there for the purpose of shelling Fort Sumpter. Their shots passed directly over our stockade and our Confederate guns had to throw their shells directly over ours to reach the Federal batteries. Our guards were negros. They were more like beast than human. On one occasion did wantonly shoot two of our men without a legal cause. The ration consisted in four crackers of what is called hard tacks and about one ounce of fat meat. At dinner we had one half pint bean or rice soup. Supper was skipped over. Drinking water was obtained by digging in the sand, letting it seap in, and shore it was bad and unhealthy. We thought when we were taken to Fort Pulaskey, Georgia that shurley the worst was over. We received good rations for a few days and kind treatments from Colonel Brown’s men though soon our rations was reduced to about 10 ounces musty corn meal full of worms, about one pint sour pickles. This ration lasted about sixty days. How any one came out alive is a mystery to me. Myself and mess mates had little money and succeeded in getting the Sargent that called the roll to smuggle in some provisions. Had it not been for what I got through that channel I have no idea I would come out alive as it was telling on me very fast. I had the scurvey and was very nearly blind. Our bedding had been reduced to about one blanket to the man. We had to go through the winter months and that without any fire. I had one good meal out of a tom cat. Would have eaten a dog if I could have had the chance.

Subscribed and sworn to by Thos Boyd before me this 27^th day of November A.D. 1912

Notary Public, Wise Co.,Texas