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Frances Harding Casstevens
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George W. Alexander and Castle Thunder: A Confederate Prison and Its Commandant Hardcover – August 1, 2004

by Frances H. Casstevens (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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Captain George W. Alexander was a controversial figure in Richmond during the Civil War, honored as a hero and condemned as a cruel prison superintendent. He was appointed Provost Marshall and put in charge of Castle Thunder in 1862, after escaping imprisonment at Fort McHenry. At his Confederate prison in Richmond, he oversaw prisoners of all types, including Confederates, women, slaves, Federal deserters, and spies.
This biography traces his entire life from his career in the U.S. Navy and the voyage with Commodore Perry to Japan, to his hiding in Canada after Lee's surrender, to his editorship of Washington DC's Sunday Gazette and death in 1895. The main body of the text concentrates on Alexander's time at Castle Thunder, but the book also explores the evolution of the prison system and the provost marshall's department, touching on unusual prisoners and escape attempts.
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  1. Print length
    271 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    McFarland Publishing
  4. Publication date
    August 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 0.75 x 10.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0786418591
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0786418596
  8. See all details
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About the Author

Retired from Wake Forest University, Frances H. Casstevens is also the author of Clingman’s Brigade in the Confederacy, 1862–1865 (2002), the award-winning The Civil War and Yadkin County, North Carolina (1997), and Edward A. Wild and the African Brigade in the Civil War(2003). She lives in Yadkinville, North Carolina.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland Publishing; illustrated Edition (August 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 271 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786418591
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786418596
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.75 x 10.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

About the author

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Frances Harding Casstevens

Frances Harding Casstevens

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
2 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Janet Marie Clawson
5.0 out of 5 stars George Washington Alexander and Castle Thunder
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017
Verified Purchase
George Washington Alexander and Castle Thunder is excellent history of a prison camp during the Civil War. George W. Alexander is a unique individual. Sixteen years as a engineer/officer with the US Navy, and sailed with Admiral Perry into Japan in 1862. He committed piracy when he boarded US Navy ships that he turned over to the Confederacy. He was captured and taken to Fort Henry and escaped by leaping over the walls and swimming ashore. Later he became the commander of Castle Thunder. Yet Alexander was a brutal commandant torturing and killing his prisoners. After the Civil War he escaped to Canada where he became a school teacher for children teaching French. Years later, he reentered the US and became a editor for a Washington DC newspaper. I was personally interested in the book and history as George W. Alexander is an ancestor. Wonderful history of the times.
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