Some Strange activities associated with Elmira.

[SSlater]

It does appear that the south wanted to re[ease any and all the Rebel prisoners, in the late days of the Civil War. They actually tried Camp Douglas and the Prison on Johnson Island. (Jacob Thompson was in charge of that attempt. - and flopped!.)

Kensey Johns Stewart must have been a complete misfit. R. E. Lee and Jeff Davis agreed that he did not appear capable - based on the fact he was more Clergyman than Commanding Officer. Yet there were many Clergyman/Soldier in the Army. Thomas N. Conrad and his schoolmate/assistant were Divinity School Graduates and there were others. Conrad played it to the hilt. He dressed completely as a
Priest when he visited Union Camps. He even dressed up some ladies as Catholic Nuns and took them to Canada.

We are led to believe that it was Thompson who sent Surratt to Elmira. I am willing to bet E.G.Lee was the one who sent him. (I wonder if Thompson knew that??? Are you aware that E.G. was trying to raise an Army ? His promotion to General depended on that.)

I wonder what Surratt's report would have been. He had to cut his investigation short, because the war ended before he could report.

There is a story about his return trip tp Canada in Baker's History of the U.S. Secret Service. The Baker Detective recognized Surratt but he didn't know "The Little Man traveling with him" (Sarah).
P.S. They (Surratt and the little man signed in at the St. Lawrence Hall, together - on April 18, 1865 (J. Harrison and A. Renaud)