Ohio in the Civil War
128th Ohio Infantry

128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Probably the most famous prison camp for Southern officers was on Johnson's Island, located near Sandusky, Ohio, in Lake Erie. John Wesley Bradley, Company D, Hoffman's Battalion, wrote from the Island on June 5:

The Prisoners have been working hard to get out. Last Sunday they dug a tunnell thru the fence some thirty ft and about 6 ft deep and one came and stuck his head out and the officer of the day saw him and drawed his revolver on him. But he went back to quick.

Wesley may have referred to an escape attempt by Lieutenant Charles Pierce, 7th Louisiana Regiment, who made three escape efforts, one about this time, without success, is Escape attempts during the summer months were rare. Most tries came when Lake Erie was frozen solid as guards stuck close to their sentry boxes. Historians have questioned whether, in fact, any prisoner successfully escaped from the Prison. Most of the prisoners were Southern officers. On May 12, 1865, for instance, the rolls included two generals, 42 colonels, 60 majors, 627 captains, and 1919 lieutenants. Between 1861 and 1865, there were 206 Southerners buried on the Island.17 Cousin Wesley was tired of the assignment:

Both Wesley and his brother Roscious (Rosh) J. Bradley served on Johnson's Island i n the Hoff man Battalion v 'or its successor (as of January 1864) the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, organized at Columbus and the Island, discharged July 17,1865

From Eber Bradley (1761-1841)and Some Relatives, page 66

Fact