From: "Stan Reed" <stan_reed@yahoo.com>
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2009 8:18 PM

In researching Confederate prisoners at Rock Island Illinois for purpose of writing short biographies and posting free 
online, I have the following:

Charles L. BEARD (on some Union POW cards in his military file he is identified as BAIRD)

Private, Co C, 4th Regiment, KY Mounted Infantry (Confederate)

Mustered in at Camp Burnett, TN, 14Sep1861, age 22.

Spent some time sick in hospital at Dalton, GA.

Reported as deserter by his unit on 26Nov1863, however,

Reported by Union Army of the Cumberland as captured at Ringgold, GA on 26Nov1863.

Sent to Nashville Union Provost Marshall for processing.

Forwarded to Louisville, KY Military Prison on 9Dec1863, received 10Dec1863.

Transferred to Rock Island, IL Prison on 11Dec1863, received 13Dec1863.

Took the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. on 17Jun1865 and was released.
The documentation on his taking the Oath stated he was age 28, fresh complexion, dark hair, gray eyes, and 5ft 9in in height.  
His stated residence was Mortonsville, Woodford Co, KY.

There is a conflict on his age between CSA and Union records, but having studied the conditions in Rock Island Prison 
like I have, if he only aged 4 years for the 2 years he was confined there, he got off more fortunate than most.  I am 
retired from the Army and spent my last Army years stationed at Rock Island which is an arsenal and procurement center 
now, and I often visited the Confederate Cemetery there. Almost 2,000 Confederate soldiers died and are buried at Rock 
Island.  Another approximately 2,000 took the oath in Oct1864 and joined the Union Army for frontier duty protecting 
settlers and westerly travel routes from Indians.

ADDED NOTE: There was a Joseph H. BEARD in the same company as Charles L. BEARD.  They are most likely related.  Joseph 
was wounded and captured at the Battle of Chicamauga (Georgia) on 20Sep1863 and ended up at Camp Douglas, Ilinois military 
prison.  I can't locate information on whether he survived.

If any of your members and website visitors have any information on Confederate soldiers who were confined at Rock Island 
I would greatly appreciate hearing from them.  I am including in my bios those who died, those who joined the 2nd 
and 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments, and those who survived to the end.  There was also some recruitment for 
the U.S Navy at Rock Island.  I don't know the total number recruited.

Keep up the good work.  Hope I hear from some of your folks. - Stan Reed, stan.reed@yahoo.com