This is a drawing of the remains of a covered bridge over the Pearl River, near Jackson, Ms., which the Confederates converted into a prison. Pvt. Keifer was held here after being captured at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, on December 28 or 29, 1862.  Internet research can provide no other image of this interesting prison other than that provided by the donor, Michele Krause. See more details on the bridge prison.

Update 5/31/2012: Thanks to information provided by Mike Dooley, it is now known that several, if not many 16th Ohio soldiers captured at Chickasaw Bayou were held in this prison.

This is an image of the parole document issued by the Confederate authorities granting Pvt. Henry Kiefer a parole, a standard practice during the first half of the Civil War. Note that although the date at the top indicates Dec. 31, 1862, just a few days after his capture, according to his letter he was not actually exchanged for several months.

This is am image of the transcription of a letter sent home by Pvt. Henry Kiefer, on March 17, 1863, to his sister, describing his participation in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, capture, imprisonment and parole.  As the transcriber mentions, the last page of his original letter was lost.

This is am image of a letter sent by Henry Kiefer, on December 19, 1932, to his granddaughter, telling her what it was like in the Civil War. See a typed version of the letter, below, for easier reading.

Image of the envelope containing the above letter from Henry Kiefer to his niece, December 19, 1932.

Typed version of a letter sent by Henry Kiefer, on December 19, 1932, to his granddaughter, telling her what it was like in the Civil War.

Henry Michael Kiefer at age 90, seated next to wife Adeline Hoffman Kiefer and five grandchildren: From top left, Walter Kiefer Smith, Grace Marcia Smith Roth, Charolotte Gail Smith Boris; next to Henry are Jean Smith LaPierre, mother of the contributor of these images, and Wendell Roy Smith.