Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-15


Colonel by Breyet, 1J2 Fifth avenue,
Pittsburgh, Pa.
FEDERAL SUPPLIES FOR FEDERAL PRI-
sONERs.
Captain Stewart is well remembered
here. He was a Federal officer paroled
from Libby Prison to take charge Of the
depot OF supplies which their friends III
the North were allowed to send the
prisoners of war here by flag -of-truce
boats. Clothing, boots and shoes, canned
meats, and delicacies of all sorts thus
came through the lines and were placed
in Captain Stewards charge, and were
by him distributed to the officers
and men to whom they were directed.
AS q matter Of fact the prisoners in
the Libby often if not always Jared
better than the Confederate soldiers at
the front better too than the soldiers
families at their homes in Virginia. At
the time Of the evacuation the store
house referred to by Captain Stewart
was we'll filed with articles of food, of
clothing, &c., sent the prisoners here 10y
relief associations and private parties IN
the North.
The Confederates exercised the same
privilege in sending boxes, &c, to their
soldiers in northern prisons. But our
people had little to send. The most ac-
ceptable present and the one generally
forwarded was box of chewing or
smoking tobacco. In those days tobacco
commanded high price in the North,
and supplies of it could be easily con-
verted into money, and money would
buy food to eat and clothes to wear.
The depot here where such articles were
received to be forwarded to northern
prisoners was in a large building that
formerly stood on the west side of Four
teenth street between Cary and what is
now Mill street. For a very CON
siderable time in 1876 this depot was
under the charge Of Mr.. W. ID. Chester
man, then disabled soldier connected
with the Bureau for the Exchange Of
Prisoners. The Captain John NJ. West
who is so kindly remembered by Captain
Stewart was an important officer OF the
Exchange Bureau and had high and i'm
portant duties in connection with the
movement Of fag-of-truce boats, &c.
He is now the Petersburg agent of the
Old Dominion Steamship Company.
The article recently republished under
the signature Of Garter, descriptive
of how the military prisons were emptied
on the eve of the evacuation, was from
his pen, and it furnished an absolutely
new chapter in the history Of the eyacua-
ton of Richmond.
A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE HIS
TORY or LIBBY PRISON.
Whilst the removal of the Libby Pri-
son is so much talked of through the
press L do not think it inappropriate in
me, as the only male representative OF the
Libby family now living here, to ask
that Won will be kind enough to publish
the true history OF how it obtained its
name, which / will here briefly sSee you.
The building was leased by my father,
Luther Libby, in the year tbe Richmond
dock was completed, and was occupied
by him as ship chandlery, grocery, aud
commission store. His business being
mainly with vessels, northern products,
and manufactures, it was virtually sus-
pended by the war in 1851. at which time
/ had been admitted as partner think
it was early in 1862 that General Winder,
then in command OF Richmond, took
forcible possession Of the building, our
lease unexpired, and converted it into
prison, and it derived its name from the
simple fact Of the sign OF Libby l. Son
being left over the door and at the corner
Of the building. My father did not own
the building or have aught 60 do with it
after it became prison, and wasin the
army.
/ would not like 10 see the old house
removed. as around il clusters some of
the fondest memories of happy youth
and early manhcod but il it is 10 be
carried to Chicago and converted into
q museum whose walls are to be deco
rated with scenes and Incidents relative
TO the prison, l could furnish pen pic
ture from facts which, Il faithfully por-