Henry A. Allen

Greetings all - below are the letters of Henry A. Allen - written to his wife while he served as a Prisoner of War between July 1863 and June 1865. You will have to go back to the beginning of this blog to read the letters in proper order. For a little biographical information on Allen, I turn to the Biographical Roster of the Immortal 600, by Mauriel Joslyn

ALLEN, Henry Archibald
Born 11 Nov 1831, Portsmouth, VA. Attended Portsmouth Military Academy - organized "Old Dominion Guard" in 1856, and held the rank of LT. Married (1) Sarah Burton (d. 1854), (2) Miss Sarah Anne Brown (1834-1919), 1857; four children. 1860 census, Portsmouth VA; brickmason; married w/ one daughter. Enlisted as PVT 20 Apr 1861. Promoted to CPT, 1 Jul 62. Admitted to Gen. Hosp #9 Richmond 2-16 Jun 63; dyspepsia. Captured at Gettysburg 3 Jul 63 (in Pickett's Charge) Confined at Ft. McHenry, 5 Jul 63. Transf'd to Ft Delaware, 7 Jul 63. Transf'd to Johnson's Island, 18 Jul 63. Transf'd to Pt. Lookout via Baltimore, 9 Feb 64. Transf'd to Ft. Pulaski, GA, 21 Oct 64. Sent to Hilton Head, SC 19 Nov 64. On roll, Hilton Head, 1 Jan 65. Rec'd at Ft. Delaware, 12 Mch 65/ Yook oath and released, Ft. Delaware, 19 Jun 65; residence: Norfolk Co. VA; light complexion, dark hair, blue eyes, 5'11"; lived in Div. 35. Resident of Portsmouth, VA. Brick mason, contractor and builder. Died 7 Jul 1912. Buried in Cedar Grove Cem, Portsmouth, VA.

Up next - a little editing with an eye toward publishing these papers. I want to compare what he says while in prison to the postwar testimony presented by the Immortal 600. Until I get that together, enjoy reading Allen's letters.

Keith