William Tilmon Bishop Letters

William Tilmon Bishop (1823-1891) was a farmer from Bexar, Marion County, Alabama. His first wife Anna Bryan died in 1852. They had two daughters together. His second wife was Sarah Adeline (1836-1905), who he wrote during the war. William enlisted on July 8, 1861 and served as a lieutenant in Co. G, 16th Alabama Infantry. His service records indicate that he was court martialed in June of 1862 and reduced in rank to private. In October 1862, he was captured at the Battle of Perryville and was exchanged before the end of the year. His records indicate that he was captured at home in Marion County on June 20, 1863 and confined at Johnson’s Island in Lake Erie (his rank is once again listed as lieutenant). He was transferred to Point Lookout, Maryland and then to Fort Delaware. Bishop became one of 600 Confederate officers set aside by Federal authorities for special treatment in retaliation for the treatment of Union prisoners at Andersonville, Georgia. They were sent to Fort Pulaski, Georgia in October 1864. About half of the 600 prisoners died during their captivity. Bishop was listed as a prisoner at Hilton Head, South Carolina in January 1865. He survived the war and was back farming in Marion County at the time of the 1870 Census.

Archive: 
Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama
Other: 
Civil War Soldiers’ Letters, LPR 78, Box 1, folder 5

Letters

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4
ID Letter Date Author Recipient From To
11353 Bishop1 December 11, 1861 William Tilmon Bishop Sarah Adeline Bishop Knoxville, Knox County, TN Marion County, AL
11354 Bishop2 October 20, 1863 William Tilmon Bishop Sarah Adeline Bishop Johnson's Island, Ottawa County, OH Marion County, AL
11356 Bishop3 August 29, 1864 William Tilmon Bishop Sarah Adeline Bishop Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County, SC Bexar, Marion County, AL
11358 Bishop4 September 8, 1864 William Tilmon Bishop Sarah Adeline Bishop Morris Island, Charleston County, SC Bexar, Marion County, AL

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