Mass Graves Remain in The Devils Punchbowl of Natchez Mississippi The Devils Punchbowl is a place located in Natchez, Mississippi where during the Civil War; authorities forced tens of thousands of freed slaves to live into concentration camps. Westbrook adds that, The union army did not allow them to remove the bodies from the camp. They just gave em shovels and said bury em where they drop. According to researcher Paula Westbrook, she researched through Adams County Sheriffs reports from the time. When the slaves were released from the plantations during the occupation they overran Natchez. And the population went from about 10,000 to 120,000 overnight, Westbrook said. So they decided to build an encampment for em at Devils Punchbowl which they walled off and wouldnt let em out, Don Estes, former director of the Natchez City Cemetery, said. Estes said that history research is his life. During his studies he said he learned that Union troops ordered re-captured black men to perform hard labor. Women and children were all but left to die in the three punchbowls. Disease broke out among em, smallpox being the main one. And thousands and thousands died. They were begging to get out. Turn me loose and Ill go home back to the plantation! Anywhere but there, Estes said.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 23:56:28 +0000
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