Gratiot Street Prison
Encyclopedia
Gratiot Street Prison was an American Civil War
prison located in St. Louis
, Missouri
and was the largest war prison in Missouri.
Run by the Union Army
, it housed Confederate
prisoners-of-war, confederate sympathizers, guerrillas, spies, and Federal soldiers accused of crimes. It is well known for being the site of a daring breakout in the last days of the American Civil War. The prison building was previously a medical school named McDowell's College, which was confiscated by the Union Army and converted to a prison in December 1861. Its official capacity was 1,200 but at times it had 2,000 prisoners. The prison was used mostly as a transfer point for prisoners going to other Union prisons. It was located at the corner of Gratiot and 8th Streets in St. Louis, and demolished in 1878.
The location is now the site of the Ralston Purina
headquarters.
(See also:List of Civil War POW Prisons and Camps)
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
prison located in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and was the largest war prison in Missouri.
Run by the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, it housed Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
prisoners-of-war, confederate sympathizers, guerrillas, spies, and Federal soldiers accused of crimes. It is well known for being the site of a daring breakout in the last days of the American Civil War. The prison building was previously a medical school named McDowell's College, which was confiscated by the Union Army and converted to a prison in December 1861. Its official capacity was 1,200 but at times it had 2,000 prisoners. The prison was used mostly as a transfer point for prisoners going to other Union prisons. It was located at the corner of Gratiot and 8th Streets in St. Louis, and demolished in 1878.
The location is now the site of the Ralston Purina
Nestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., following its acquisition of the American Ralston Purina Company on December 12, 2001 and subsequent merger with Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company. As a wholly owned subsidiary, it is headquartered at the General...
headquarters.
(See also:List of Civil War POW Prisons and Camps)