Karen Stokes
A friend shared a story about the 600 Confederate Prisoners of War that the Union army in South Carolina used as shields against Confederate troops.
"The Immortal 600"was a special group of Confederate prisoner incarcerated at Fort Pulaski, South Carolina during the fall and winter of 1864-65. They had been brought from Fort Delaware to Federally occupied Morris Island, S.C. to be used as human shields. They remained in an open 1.5 acre pen under the shelling of friendly Confederate artillery fire for 45 days.
Then they were removed to Fort Pulaski and for 42 days were kept on starvation rations. Three had died at Morris Island, 13 died at Ft. Pulaski and 5 later died at Hilton Head Island, S. C. The remaining prisoners were returned for Fort Delaware.
I suspect this was done in retaliation for the conditions of the Union prisoners held at Andersonville, Georgia and Salisbury, North Carolina. By that time in the War, General U.S. Grant had declared there would no longer be "prisoner exchanges".
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