Castle Thunder Military Prison
Information about Castle Thunder Prison in Richmond, VA during the Civil War.
Castle Thunder Military Prison was a large tobacco warehouse that was located on the north side of Cary Street between 18th & 19th Streets.
The prison was mainly used for civilian prisoners and was generally packed with murderers, cut-throats, thieves and other desperadoes. Males suspected of disloyalty, spies and Union sympathizers were also incarcerated there and a large number of the inmates were under sentence of death. A few women were held there too, including the famous Dr. Mary E. Walker.
The prison was used by the Federals for Confederate civilian "war criminals" after the surrender.
The building was formerly the (William) Greanor's, Palmer's, & Whitlock's Tobacco factories.
- Images of Castle Thunder Military Prison
- Statistics of Eastern District Hospital (Castle Thunder) 9/1862 - 3/1863 (RG 109, Ch. 6, Vol. 151, p. 10) - hospital closed after March, 1863
- Rules and Regulations of the C. S. Military Prisons, 1863(?). Signed by Thomas P. Turner. National Archives, RG249.