More on Nathaniel Henry Bouldin Who Died in Pelham's Confederate Prisoner of War Camp

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Though it seems hard to believe today, a Confederate prisoner of war camp once stood within the Town of Pelham during the final weeks of the Civil War.  The POW camp opened the very month the war ended as Union troops overran the Confederacy and sent waves of captured Rebel troops northward during the final weeks of the war. 

Pelham's prison opened in early April 1865 and operated until the last Confederate prisoners were released from the facility in July 1865.  Although some records misplace the location of the camp, we know that it stood on the north end of Hart Island (also known as Hart's Island) which, at the time, was part of the Town of Pelham.  The northern tip of the island was a lowland area. There, lightly-constructed prison "barracks" were built.  The barracks were basically open to the elements with open windows and a door on only one side of the building (to reduce avenues of possible escape from its rear). 

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides additional research regarding one of the Confederate prisoners in the camp who died and was buried on Hart Island.  His name was Nathaniel Henry Bouldin.  I have a special interest in him.

Nathaniel Henry Bouldin was a Great-Great Grandfather of my wife.

I have written before, briefly, about Nathaniel Henry Bouldin.  See Mon., Mar. 29, 2010:  Nathaniel H. Bouldin, a Poor Confederate Prisoner of War Who Died in Pelham in 1865.  Private Nathaniel Henry Bouldin, who served in Company F of the 57th Regiment Virginia Volunteers during the entire Civil War, clearly was a brave man.  

Bouldin fell wounded on the field at Gettysburg during Pickett’s Charge which many consider to be the "high-water-mark" of the Confederacy. He was taken prisoner as a wounded soldier, but lived to fight again.  Indeed, after a prisoner exchange, he was wounded a second time. He lived to fight again. Subsequently, he was captured at the Battle of Five Forks near Petersburg, Virginia on April 1, 1865. He was sent north to a prisoner of war camp on Hart Island in Pelham, New York in the Long Island Sound. There, Bouldin was killed by a bigger foe: disease.  

Bouldin suffered “chronic diarrhea” during a cholera outbreak on Hart Island and died in De Camp General Hospital on Davids Island, just northeast of Harts Island off the shore of Pelham and New Rochelle, New York. He left behind his 35 year-old wife, Sally Ann Hundley Bouldin, and their children:  George William (my wife's Great-Grandfather), John Burrel, Mary Ann, and Martha Emerline.  The oldest, George, was thirteen at the time of his father's death.  The youngest, Mary Ann, was not yet eight years old.

Detail from 1884 United States Coast Guard Survey

Nautical Chart No. 361 Entitled "CITY ISLAND

HARBOR LONG ISLAND SOUND" Showing Hart

Island. Note the Many Buildings on the Island, Many

of Which Were Part of the Military Training Facility

During the Civil War.  NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

On November 19, 1864, a popular national publication, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, published an article on the "new" Union military facilities constructed on Hart Island.  Significantly, the article included several important engravings of outdoor scenes (and one indoor scene) on the island.  The engravings, according to the article that accompanied them, were based on photographs of Hart Island taken by "Mr. Tyler, the well-known photographer."   I have written before of these engravings, a complete set of which may be found at:  Tue., Dec. 13, 2016:  Rare and Stunning Images of Civil War Pelham Engraved from Photographs Taken In 1864. 

"VIEW OF HART'S ISLAND."

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The engraving immediately above shows the portion of Hart Island on which the military training facility was built.  In the waters on the right, in the foreground of the engraving, is a steamboat.  This likely depicts the steamboat John Romer.  It was the principal means of transportation to and from Hart Island at the time.  According to the article published with the engravings, passengers on the John Romer traveling to Hart Island typically were packed as thickly as sardines or figs in a "figdrum."  Indeed, if you pay close attention to the steamboat in the image, it is packed with passengers. 

Barracks and officers' quarters appear visible on the high ground of the island in the engraving above.  The prisoner of war camp was built on lowlands on Hart Island.  Close inspection of the image shows that in addition to the many buildings that appear to be painted white, there are many more that appear to be of unpainted wood that, though difficult to see in the image, are scattered all over the landscape.

"HART ISLAND, NEAR NEW YORK, A STATION FOR THE

DISBANDMENT OF THE FEDERAL ARMY." 1865 Engraving

Depicting the Military Facilities on Hart Island Only Months

After the Last Confederate Prisoners Left the Island in July.

Source: The Illustrated London News, Aug. 12, 1865, Vol.

47, No. 1328, p. 128. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The prison's monthly sick reports for April, May, and June, 1865 suggest that the mean number of prisoners held in the camp was 3,031 during that three-month period. The reports further indicate that conditions were horrendous and cases of diarrhea and dysentery were rampant. Cf. Woodward, Joseph Janvier, THE MEDICAL AND SURGICAL HISTORY OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, Part II, Vol. I, p. 39 (Washington, D.C.: Gov’t Printing Office, 1879).

The men were confined in such close quarters that each had the equivalent of 102 cubic feet of air space -- the equivalent of less than five feet by five feet by six feet high. Digital images of the orders and prisoners' registers for the Confederate prisoner of war camp on Hart Island are freely available online. See FamilySearch.com, United States Records of Prisoners of War, 1861-1865: NY, Hart Island, Prison Camp - Orders, Prisoner Registers, 1865, v. 265-69 (259 pages; visited on Feb. 20, 2016). 

We know from an officer's memoir published well after the War that the prison, which was located at the northern end of Hart Island, was separated from the Union camp and military facilities on the remainder of the island by a "very strong twelve-foot fence." Entrance to the prison camp was through "a very strong and massive door or gate." The entire prison facility on the north end of the island was guarded by sentries stationed on land and guards in patrol boats that patrolled the island. See Roemer, Jacob, REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION 1861-1865 BY BVT.-MAJ. JACOB ROEMER, BATTERY L. SECOND N.Y. ARTILLERY, AND THIRTY-FOURTH N.Y.V.V. IND. LT. BATTERY, pp. 304-06 (Flushing, N.Y.: Estate of Jacob Roemer, 1897).

In late April, 1865, only weeks after being admitted into the POW camp, Nathaniel Henry Bouldin became violently ill with "chronic diarrhea."  On April 29, he was admitted to De Camp General Hospital on nearby Davids Island off the shores of New Rochelle and Pelham.  There, on May 1, 1865, he died and was buried on Hart Island the same day.  He was 33 years old at the time of his death.  Immediately below is an image of the Union Army's "RECORD OF DEATH AND INTERMENT" of Nathaniel Henry Bouldin.  

Click on Image to Enlarge.

During the 20th Century, the remains of Nathaniel Henry Bouldin and other Confederates who died in the POW camp on Hart Island were exhumed and moved to Cyprus Hills National Cemetery.  His remains are marked and are located at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, 625 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11208, Section 1, Site 2677.  Immediately below is a map of the section where Nathaniel Henry Bouldin's remains rest, followed by a photograph of his gravestone and an example of one of his many muster roll records reflecting his war service.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Example of Muster Roll Card Record for Nathaniel Henry Bouldin.

Source:  Confederate Muster Roll, Co. F, 57th Virginia Infantry, Pg. 01,

Nathaniel H. Bouldin.  Source:  Publication Title - The National Archives

and Records Administration, NARA M324.  Compiled Service Records

of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State

of Virginia, NARA Catalog ID 586957 (Carded Records Showing Military

Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations, 

compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865; Record

Group 109, Virginia, Fifty-Seventh Infantry Regiment, Bouldin, Nathaniel H.).

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I have written before about the Confederate prisoner of war camp in the Town of Pelham. For examples, see: 

Mon., Feb. 22, 2016:  Report on Prisoner Deaths at the Confederate POW Camp in Pelham During the Civil War.

Wed., Oct. 21, 2015:  Ministering to Troops on Hart and Davids Islands During and Shortly After the Civil War. 

Thu., Jun. 12, 2014:  Eyewitness Account of Prisoner of War Concentration Camp That Once Stood in Pelham. 

Fri., May 21, 2010:  The Announcement of President Abraham Lincoln's Assassination in Pelham, NY on April 15, 1865. 

Mon., Mar. 29, 2010:  Nathaniel H. Bouldin, a Poor Confederate Prisoner of War Who Died in Pelham in 1865. 

Detail from 1867 Map Showing Hart Island on the Far Right.

The Northern End of the Island, on this Map, is Depicted as

Lowlands. Source: "Plan of East Chester, Pelham and New

Rochelle, Westchester Co." in Atlas of New York and Vicinity

From Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction of F. W.

Beers, Assisted by Geo. E. Warner & Others," p. 7 (NY, NY:

Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1867). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Is This the Earliest Documented Professional Prize Fight Held in the Town of Pelham?

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Though difficult to imagine, the Town of Pelham once was one of the most popular havens for prize fights in the New York City region.  Bare-knuckled brawls were held in Pelham because it was so desolate, so difficult to reach at the time, and had no meaningful police force -- only a handful of Town Police Constables.  Consequently, a number of nationally-renowned prize fighters fought for large cash purses in the midst of crowds of gamblers, often in hotels or barns near Pelham Bridge on Shore Road.  

I have written about such prize fights on a number of occasions.  See, e.g.:

Mon., Jul. 17, 2017:  Rode a Horse to Death Getting to and From the Famous Yankee Sullivan Prize Fight in Pelham on August 29, 1842.

Fri., Mar. 17, 2017:  "One of the Fiercest" Prize Fights On Record Between Tommy Flannigan and Pete McCabe in Pelham on November 1, 1888.

Tue., Apr. 26, 2016:  Another Pelham Prize Fight: American Jim Larkin Defeated Englishman Bill Hook on June 27, 1889.

Wed., Jan. 27, 2016:  Yet Another Illegal Prize Fight in Pelham in 1887.

Wed., Jan. 20, 2016:  Another Exciting Account of 1884 Pelham Prize Fight Between Jim Murray of New York and Tom Henry of England. 

Wed., Nov. 04, 2015:  The Famous Nineteenth Century Prize Fighter Yankee Sullivan Fought in Pelham in 1842. 

Thu., Jul. 10, 2014:  Illegal Prize Fight in Pelham in 1902. 

Wed., Feb. 12, 2014:  Pelham Was the Scene of Illegal Prize Fights During the Early Days of the "Sweet Science" of Boxing. 

Wed., Mar. 23, 2005:  Prize Fighting At Pelham Bridge in 1884. 

Tue., Oct. 04, 2005:  Front Page of the May 12, 1902 Issue of The Pelham Republican (describing the fight between Joe Gleacher and Joe Kerwin held in the spring of 1902; Gleacher was found in Mt. Vernon after the fight and was arrested, although Kerwin apparently escaped to Philadelphia before his arrest).

When was the earliest organized prize fight held in Pelham?  Though it is not known with certainty, the earliest seems to have been a major fight between James Reed of Philadelphia and Thomas Barrett of New York City (known as "Long Tom") on June 8, 1835.  (Some accounts erroneously identified Barrett as "Samuel Barrett," his brother's name.)  The fight was a brutal bare-knuckled affair that lasted forty-seven or forty-eight rounds (depending on the account) and stretched for one hour and ten minutes.

The Queensbury Rules for prize fighting did not yet exist.  They were devised more than thirty years later in 1867 by John Graham Chambers of the Amateur Athletic Club in England.  The London Prize Fight rules established by the British Pugilists’ Protective Association did not yet exist either.  They were devised three years later in 1838 (and were revised in 1853).  Thus, the Reed-Barrett prize fight fought in Pelham likely was fought under the original set of prize fight rules devised by Jack Broughton in 1743.

The Broughton rules were fairly simple.  The rules were intended to protect fighters in the ring from death.  If a man went down during the fight and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over.  Hitting a fighter who was down was prohibited.  Although wrestling holds above the waist were permitted, grasping below the waist was prohibited.

The fight between "Long Tom" Barrett and James Reed was held on Hart Island just off the shore of City Island.  (Both islands were part of the Town of Pelham at the time and remained so until annexation by New York City in 1895.)  At the time Hart Island was virtually uninhabited.  Adjacent City Island had only about 400 to 500 residents.

Newspapers throughout the nation reported accounts of the fight, describing it as "a gallant and severe one."  Each of the fighters brought a large entourage including seconds.  

Immediately before the fight, there was a parlay during which those in attendance exchanged bets on the two prize fighters.  When the fight commenced, the two athletes immediately began pummeling each other.  Though the fight went either 47 or 48 rounds (depending on various accounts), it lasted an exhausting one hour and ten minutes.  One of the few descriptions of the progress of the fight stated:

"The fight commenced with a parley, was followed by blows, afterwards a smasher followed by claret, both went down -- afterwards rallied -- one caught a cross buttacher -- to'ther planted a knowing one -- Reed threw a somerset over the ropes -- both lost their wind -- Reed got a smasher in the bread-basket -- he also got a winder. . . ."

At the close of the 47th round, a dispute erupted between the entourages of the two fighters.  Some claimed it originated with the entourage, including seconds, of James Reed who seemed to be more worse off than his opponent, Long Tom.  The implications of the reports were that Reed was struggling and needed time to recover sufficiently to resume the fight.  In any event, the dispute devolved into a brawl between the two sides.  As the crowd brawled, they broke down the ring within which the fight was staged.  Cooler heads eventually prevailed.  Once order was restored and the rink was rebuilt for the completion of the fight, it was discovered that James Reed was "unable to come to time."  Long Tom Barrett was declared the victor.  

It may be hard to imagine Pelham as a center for the sport of prize fighting.  Yet, for decades during the mid- to late 19th century, the little town was precisely that.  It was desolate and dark with little law enforcement protection to interfere.  It was immediately adjacent to New York City but also outside the jurisdiction of New York City police.  Thus, Pelham repeatedly was the scene of famous fights including the June 8, 1835 fight between Long Tom Barrett of New York City and James Reed of Philadelphia.  

A Bare-Knuckled Prize Fight, Circa 1880's, Like Many

Prize Fights Held in Pelham Between 1835 and the Early
20th Century.  NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *         *         *          *

"Another Pugilistic Encounter. -- A fight took place yesterday, at Hart's Island, 22 miles from New York, between James Reed, of Philadelphia, and Samuel Barrett, of this city.  The contest was a gallant and severe one, and lasted one hour and ten minutes, during which forty-seven rounds were fought.  At this stage of the affair, a row commenced; originating, it is supposed, with the partizans [sic] of Reed.  This was, however, quelled, after a short period, and the 'business of the day was resumed, when it was found that Reed was unable to come to time, and Barrett was declared the victor."

Source:  Another Pugilistic Encounter, N.Y. Transcript, Jun. 9, 1835, Vol. II, No. 108, p. 2, col. 2.  

"Pugilism.  --  Last week a regular match fight took place at Hart Island near Hell-gate, between Reed and Barrett, who by description must have been experienced prize fighters.  The fight is described in detail in some of the N. Y. papers.  They had 48 rounds, occupying one hour and ten minutes.  The fight commenced with a parley, was followed by blows, afterwards a smasher followed by claret, both went down -- afterwards rallied -- one caught a cross buttacher -- to'ther planted a knowing one -- Reed threw a somerset over the ropes -- both lost their wind -- Reed got a smasher in the bread-basket -- he also got a winder.  Barrett came off victorious.  At the close the ring was broken, and the seconds and all were fighting.  This prize fighting is a foreign fashion, lately introduced among us."

Source:  Pugilism, The Long-Island Star [Brooklyn, NY], Jun. 18, 1835, p. 2, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

"REED AND BARRETT.  --  In the same year, Jem [sic] Reed and Tom Barrett, alias Long Tom, of Philadelphia, fought at Hart's Island, but after some hard work, the ring was broken in, and a row ensued, which terminated the fight.  There was but little difference between them at the close of the fight."

Source:  "CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL PRIZE FIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES" in The American Fistiana:  Containing a History of Prize Fighting in the United States, with All the Principal Battles for the Last Forty Years, and a Full and Precise Account of all the Particulars of the Great $10,000 Match Between Sullivan and Hye With Their Method of Training for the Fight, as Described by Patrick Timony, Esq., p. 29 (NY, NY:  H. Johnson, 1849).  

"THOMAS BARRETT THE BOXER -- Philadelphia, Nov. 12, 1858.  Frank Queen.  --  Dear Sir:  Although a careful reader of your paper, I recollect not seeing much about a gentleman whose rank as one of the best sparrers in the United States is unquestionable.  --  I allude to Thomas Barrett, Esq. of this city.  This omission may have proceeded from the fact that he now belongs to the olden time, and won his fame before the CLIPPER was instituted.  Permit me, therefore, to say something of him.  

Mr. Barrett, a native of London, came to Philadelphia, about the year 1832, and established a gymnasium in Market street near [illegible].  Soon after that I paid a visit to the establishment, then a novelty, to see 'the English [illegible].'  With his light complexion and ruddy cheeks, he looked at you; his stature was very tall, and he seemed an ox in strength.

The gymnasium became popular, was patronized by persons of high respectability, and recommended by a lot of physicians as the best medicine.  Samuel Barrett, an older brother, an excellent sparrer [remainder illegible]

Source:  THOMAS BARRETT THE BOXER, N.Y. Clipper, Nov. 26, 1858, Vol. VI, No. 31, p. 3, col. 2.  

"THE AMERICAN PRIZE-RING.
-----
Its Battles, Its Wrangles and Its Heroes.
-----
An Interesting Record of Fistic Sport in the Past.
-----
A Fight Which Lasted Two Hours and Fifty-Five Minutes and Embraced 1010 Rounds.
-----
COUNTRY M'CLOSKEY'S PLUCK.
-----
WRITTEN EXPRESSLY FOR THE NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE, BY W. E. HARDING.
-----
(Continued.)

Abe Vanderzee and Frank Speight fought at Fort Washington, on the Hudson, near New York, on Sept. 26, 1837.  Fourteen rounds were fought in twenty minutes, and Abe was declared the winner.

George Owens, the Manchester Pet, an English pugilist, arrived from England in September.  He was matched to fight Jim Reed, of Cincinnati, who had defeated McLane and fought a draw [sic] with Tom Barrett.  The fight took place at Fort Washington, N. Y.; on Nov. 10, 1837.  Owens proved to be a first-class pugilist, and he whipped Reed in thirty-nine rounds, lasting one hour, forty minutes. . . ."

Source:  Harding, W. E., THE AMERICAN PRIZE-RING -- Its Battles, Its Wrangles and Its Heroes -- An Interesting Record of Fistic Sport in the Past -- A Fight Which Lasted Two Hours and Fifty-Five Minutes and Embraced 1010 Rounds -- COUNTRY M'CLOSKEY'S PLUCK, The National Police Gazette [NY, NY], Jun. 12, 1880, Vol. XXXVI, No. 142, p. 15, col. 1.  

"The men who competed in combative, 'ritualized, rule-bound, respectable spectacles' of bareknuckle boxing were likely workingmen of the traditionalist variety, demonstrating 'no fast and hard distinction between work and play.'  Unlike their revivalist counterparts, Philadelphia's traditionalist workers refused to label 'certain amusements as sinful,' indulging in a wide range of sporting pursuits, from hunting and fishing, to balloon launchings and cockfighting.  Spectator sports were particularly appealing to traditionalist artisans, permitting large groups of men to exercise communal masculinities vicariously by supporting a representative -- human or animal -- of their group.  Although cockfighting and dogfighting were popular amongst traditionalists, prizefighting was their spectator sport of choice.  Andy McLane was one of Philadelphia's earliest pugilistic heroes.  McLane's first recorded prizefight was his 1832 defeat of Jim Sanford on the outskirts of Philadelphia.  On May 7, 1833, McLane continued his pugilistic exploits, facing William 'Boss' Harrington, a New York City butcher, on neutral ground in Baltimore, Maryland, for one thousand dollars.  When it became apparent that Harrington would defeat McLane, however, the latter's followers tore down the ring, drawing their knives and pistols, to end the bout before Harrington could earn a decisive victory.  The violence surrounding the McLane-Harrington bout was exactly the sort of behavior that led many Philadelphians to demonize the prize ring, labeling it a source of immorality and vice.  While Lane's popularity in Philadelphia waned, sibling English boxers Tom and Sam Barrett were incorporating sparring into the activities offered at their local gymnasium.  When one of the Barrett brothers -- sources differ on which -- attempted to parlay his sporting popularity into a prizefight with Jim Reed of Cincinnati in 1836 [sic], however, the outcome was strikingly similar to the McLane-Harrington debacle, resulting in the destruction of the ring and a general brawl before a winner could be determined. 53  [Endnote 53, p. 250, states:  "Most historical works claim it was Tom Barrett who fought Jim Reed.  See, Timothy, American Fistiana, 29; National Police Gazette, June 5, 1880.  A resident of Pittsburgh, however, wrote the New York Clipper in 1858 claiming it was in fact Sam Barrett that fought Reed.  See, New York Clipper, November 20, 1858."]

The Barrett-Reed prizefight, staged at Hart's Island, New York, was likely facilitated by the advent of rail transportation between Pennsylvania and New York City.  In 1833, the Camden and Amboy Railroad provided relatively quick travel -- about nine hours, including a ferry and stagecoach -- between the Quaker and Empire cities.  While this new rail connection presented prizefighters with an array of potential fighting grounds, it also accelerated the formation of a more thoroughly class-based society in Philadelphia, dividing the population sharply between a working class of manual laborers and a middle class of non-manual workers.  Although the new railway connecting Philadelphia to New York increased demand for Philadelphian products domestically, the locomotive also ushered in an era of considerable industrialization. . . ."

Source:  Ross, Greggory M., Boxing in the Union Blue:  A Social History of American Boxing in the Union States During the Late Antebellum and Civil War Years, The University of Western Ontario Western Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies:  Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository, pp. 209-10 & n. 53 (Ontario, Canada:  May 2014) (certain endnotes omitted).  

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Plans Underway to Build an Eco-Friendly Yoga, Canoeing or Fishing Retreat on Historic Rat Island, Once Part of Pelham

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Scattered off the shores of Pelham in Long Island Sound are many islands that were part of Thomas Pell's purchase of lands from local Native Americans on June 27, 1654.  Principal among these islands, as they are known today, are:  City Island, Hart Island, High Island, Hunter's Island and the Twins, Travers Island, Neptune Island, Glen Island, David's Island, Huckleberry Island, Big Pea Island, and Little Pea Island.  There are, of course, many, many other rock outcroppings and granite shelves referenced as "islands" and "islets" in the same region.

One of the most notable such islets is one known as "Rat Island."  Rat Island is privately owned.  It lies in City Island Harbor roughly midway between City Island and Hart Island.  Historic Rat Island may soon add yet another fascinating chapter to its long and storied history.

Detail from 1851 Bache and Hassler Nautical Map of Hart and City Islands and

Sachem's Head Harbor Showing Rat Island Between City Island and Hart

Island.  Source:  DavidRumsey.com.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

 Rat Island on October 8, 2006, as Seen from City Island.

Source:  "Rat Island, New York" in Wikipedia - The Free

Encyclopedia (visitedAug. 28, 2016).  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

I have written extensively about the history of Rat Island.  See Thu., Sep. 08, 2016:  Historic Rat Island, One of the Pelham Islands First Purchased by Thomas Pell.  

No one knows how the islet received its name.  There are two traditions.  The first recounts that rats once were prolific on the little islet though a number of 19th century reports noted that no rats had ever been seen on the tiny islet that, in any event, has been a barren, rocky location unlikely to sustain a colony of rats.  Another tradition holds that 19th century prisoners held on nearby Hart Island, known as prison "Rats," used the islet as a resting spot during daring escape attempts as they swam away from Hart Island.  Thus, locals labeled the rocky outcropping "Rat Island."  

The little island once was the home of retired City Island Pilot Gilbert ("Gill") Horton, born in 1825 who built a home on the islet that stood for many years before it was demolished in 1893.  Rat Island has been the scene of a number of shipwrecks such as the wreck of the coal schooner Lena B. Kaplan of Nova Scotia that struck the rocky islet and sank in January 1886.  After New York City annexed the area in the mid-1890s, it sold the island in 1908 to a private purchase due to unpaid taxes on the property.  Since then, the island has passed through the hands of a number of owners.

In 2011, the islet was auctioned.  Eight bidders battled over the 2-1/2 acre rock with City Island resident Alex Schibil prevailing.  He purchased the island for $176,000.  Since then, according to one account, he has "mainly used the island, accessed via a 10-minute canoe ride, for family picnics, barbecues and private outings with his long-term girlfriend, Noelva Vigoya, 69, who works as a babysitter for her grandchildren."  See Ridley, Jane, Bronx Man Envisions Hotel on City's Barren Rat Island, N.Y. Post (Apr. 3, 2019).

Recently the New York Post reported that Mr. Schibil envisions developing the tiny islet as an eco-friendly "hotel" or "camp" for yoga, canoeing, and fishing with ten solar-powered, self-contained wooden cabins around the islet and a small jetty and boat dock to facilitate arrivals and departures from the islet.  Because there is no running water on the island, there are plans to harvest rainwater for toilets and showers.

Rendering of Planned Eco-Friendly Development on Rat Island.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Plans for development of Rat Island are in the earliest stages and funding has not been arranged.  Indeed, Mr. Schibil is seeking investors for the project.

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In addition to many articles about City Island, Hunter's Island, and Travers Island, I have written before about a number of the islands and rocky islets off the shores of Pelham that are -- or once were -- part of the Town.  See, e.g.:

Fri., May 12, 2017:  Where in Blazes Were "The Blauzes" in Pelham?

Tue., Feb. 28, 2017:  A Little History of the Chimney Sweeps, Two Diminutive Pelham Rocky Islets.

Fri., Feb. 17, 2017:  More on the History of High Island in the Town of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 15, 2017:  Captain Kidd's Treasure: Buried on High Island in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Sep. 08, 2016:  Historic Rat Island, One of the Pelham Islands First Purchased by Thomas Pell.  

Tue., May 05, 2015:  More About the History of Goose Island, Once the Home of Mammy Goose.  

Mon., May 26, 2014:  James D. Fish and the Mansion He Built that Once Stood on the Most Easterly of the Twin Islands in Pelham.

Tue., Apr. 25, 2006:  More About "Mammy Goose" of Goose Island.

Thu., Mar. 10, 2005:  "Mammy Goose" of Goose Island.

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Early February, 1886, When the Waters Off Pelham Froze Over and Trapped Ships

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The cold that winter more than 130 years ago was so brutal that extreme efforts had to be taken to prevent prisoners held on Hart Island in the Town of Pelham from simply walking away from the prison across the ice of Long Island Sound.  Every day during that brutal cold spell in early February, 1886 the powerful steamboat Fidelity chugged along dutifully and plowed away the thick ice around the entire circumference of the island so Hart Island prisoners could not escape.  Winter was pounding poor Pelham once again.

Pelham, it seems, had grown accustomed to the terrible cold of a merciless winter.  Only four years before during another ferocious winter, the Long Island Sound around City Island and Hart Island off the shores of Pelham froze over and trapped hundreds of craft including schooners and myriad sailing vessels.  Indeed, so many ships were trapped in the ice on that occasion that, according to one account, at night the area "looked like a big town" due to the many lights that could be seen within the many trapped vessels waiting for the ice to thaw and break up.  

Three years before that, in 1879 during another brutal cold spell, much of the Sound and even rivers including portions of the Hudson froze over in a similar fashion.  Steamers were used to break up the ice to try to keep maritime navigation flowing.  Though shipping continued sporadically in the New York City region, the ice-choked waters slowed traffic tremendously for many, many days.

Early February, 1886 was no different.  On February 9, 1886, the New York Herald reported that around City Island and Hart Island "the ice was a complete field."  Pelham Bay "was an unbroken sheet of ice."  Ice on the rivers surrounding New York City was between four and six inches thick.  Schooners, tows, and tugs were stuck in the ice around the islands.  Indeed, on February 8, 1886 there were seven schooners and twenty one canal boats stuck in the ice near City Island and Hart Island.  Additionally, thirteen coal barges that were bound for Bridgeport were stuck in the area.  The New York Herald reported that the ice was solid from the waters around City Island all the way up to Saybrook, Connecticut.

In an effort to keep maritime commerce flowing to and from City Island, a steamship tug was used to cut a channel through the ice leading to the City Island dock one morning.  By the afternoon, however, the tiny little channel was virtually impassable.  It was "choked with broken cakes of ice."  

Sailors on board the trapped vessels made the most of their situation.  For example, Captain Flannery of the M. Vandercook (the vessel towing the thirteen ice-bound coal barges) was accompanied by his wife.  On the evening of Saturday, February 6, Captain Flannery's "buxom, hospitable" wife hosted a grand party for sailors including Captain Fillman, Captain John Walker "Peter" Carlin, and Captain Michael Daly.  Each captain was accompanied by his wife.  One of the crew members provided music with a concertina.  The ladies and gentlemen, according to the New York Herald, enjoyed "an elegant time . . . that evening on the frozen Sound."

It was days before the ice "rotted" from warm weather and ships could travel safely again.  For a time, however, the crews of many ships were ice-bound in a little place called Pelham, New York. . . .   

The Jeannette, Shown Ice-Bound in 1881.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"FROZEN IN ON THE SOUND.

The severity of the weather last week was especially remarkable up the Sound.  Around City Island and Hart Island the ice was a complete field, and from four to six inches in the rivers.  Schooners, tows and tugs were caught in Hart Island Roads and were ice bound for days.  Yesterday morning there were fixed there seven schooners and twenty-one canal boats.  The schooner John Douglass, Captain Jordan, with a crew of five, with coal, bound for Boston, ran in there on Wednesday night, and next day was unable to break through the ice, so heavy had been the frost within a few hours.  The other schooners caught in the same trap were the Helen Thompson, the Speedwell, the Charles W. Simmons, the E. Flower, the Randolph (Captain Ward), for Providence, the Gray Parrot (British, Captain Mulbury), for St. John, N. B., and the James English (Captain Perkins), for Newport.

A HERALD reporter yesterday went up to City Island to ascertain the state of things.  Pelham Bay was an unbroken sheet of ice and the Hart Island Roads were nearly in the same condition.  The powerful steamer Fidelity had ploughed along the shore of Hart Island every day so as to break the ice and thus prevent a possible means of escape for the prisoners confined on the island.  The ice in the roads was already black and showing signs of rottenness.  A channel from the City Island dock to the vicinity of the schooners had been made by a tug in the morning, but in the afternoon a good part of this channel was choked with broken cakes of ice.  The HERALD reporter pulled through the open water, and then he and his man had to drag the boat over the unbroken portion of the ice to get to another lead to reach the schooners.  The operation was watched with languid interest by the crews, who leaned over the bulwarks calmly smoking.

LIFE ON THE ICE-BOUND CRAFT.

When the reporter got alongside the Douglass and began to ask questions without introducing himself, Captain Jordan said:  --  

'I suppose you are a reporter?'

'Just so,' was the answer.

'Be you from the HERALD?'

'Why, of course,' was the response.

The skipper thereupon told his visitor that he would be still more delighted if he (the visitor) had brought along a sou'west wind to break up the ice.  The Douglass had spoken the C. B. Sanford, which reported that the ice was solid all the way up to Saybrook.  The crews of the different schooners had not suffered for anything.  Up to Sunday afternoon they were able to walk over the ice to City Island to get all the drink and (if necessary) all the food they wanted.

On Sunday afternoon, however, an accident occurred to one of the men.  A sailor named Jack Deering was in rear of a party, trudging over the ice to the village, when he got on a tender spot and down he went.  He clung to the edge of the broken ice and shouted.  His chums ran back and one of them extended to him a boat hook, which he grasped, and by this means was dragged to a safer place.

The Captain John, the steamer plying between New Rochelle, City Island and New York, got into City Island before Wednesday.  She came down to New York early yesterday morning.  
The Massachusetts was seen to pass down the channel outside the roads seemingly badly listed to port.  Every one thought she had met with a serious accident.

FESTIVITIES UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

From Wednesday until yesterday morning thirteen coal barges bound for Bridgeport and New Haven lay in the channel at the entrance of Hart Island roads.  They had been towed thus far by the M. Vandercook, but could get no further because of the ice.  The leading boat was bossed by Captain Flannery, whose buxom, hospitable wife determined on Saturday night to give a party.  The skippers who crowded her cabins were Captains Fillman, John Walker 'Peter' Carlin and Michael Daly, and the good ladies their wives accompanied them.  There was no grand piano aboard, but one of the crew had genius and a concertina and furnished the music.  The orchestra was not imbedded [sic] in a bower of roses, as is usual on such occasions, but a hillock of coal hid it from sight, and the proprieties were so far observed.  It was an 'elegant' time those ladies and gentlemen had that evening on the frozen Sound.  Yesterday their palatial floating residences were towed into the roads.

Mr. Furman, a member of the Pelham Yacht Club, said this winter, so far, the ice had not been as great and as unbroken as on some previous winters.  Four years ago there were hundreds of craft frozen in, and at night the roads, from the myriads of lights, looked like a big town.

Just below City Island Dock is Dan Carroll's shipyard, where the yacht Lurline is being repaired.  The Lurline belongs to Mr. James Waterbury, the millionaire.  The yacht is being fitted with a new boiler and a flush deck.  Owing to the cold the work on her has been slow, but it is hoped she will be ready by the 10th of March to go South.

The schooners Minnehaha and Oak Wood, which were disabled in the great storm of three weeks ago, are being repaired at the City Island Dock.  Should the fine weather continue -- indeed, should this morning prove very mild -- the schooners and tow named above will be able to get out by to-morrow morning."

Source:  FROZEN IN ON THE SOUND, N.Y. Herald, Feb. 9, 1886, p. 8, col. 6.  

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Pelham experienced a series of terrible winters during the 1850s, the 1870s, and the 1880s.  I have written before about some of these terrible winters and the major storms they produced. See, e.g.: 

Thu., Aug. 17, 2017:  More on Brutal Winters in Pelham During the 1850s.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2017:  Terrible Storm of 1856 Wrecks Dozens and Dozens of Ships Including Many on Pelham Shores. 

Fri., May 26, 2017:  The Significance of the Wreck of the Steamer Plymouth Rock in Pelham in 1855.

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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Evidence of Friction Between Pelham and New York City in 1885 Over Riotous Hart Island "Paupers"

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From the time New York City first leased Hart Island from John Hunter, Jr. during the Civil War, and thereafter purchased it outright in 1868, and through the next several decades, the Island and its inhabitants were a constant source of friction between the Town of Pelham and New York City.  Though the island was within the Town of Pelham, it was owned by New York City.  

The examples of such friction are legion.  Confederate prisoners of war held on the island during the Civil War escaped and made their way through Pelham.  There were allegations that temporary residents of Hart Island voted fraudulently in Town of Pelham elections.  Long after the war, non-military prisoners held on the island escaped on foot and fled onto City Island and the mainland when the local waters froze over during brutal winter months.  Pelham residents were horrified when New York City quarantined yellow fever patients on the island in 1870, among many other such frictions.  Many other such incidents strained the relations between Pelham and New York City when it came to Hart Island.

By 1885 Pelham essentially had had enough of New York City's stewardship of Hart Island.  By then, a major portion of the island was used as New York City's "potter's field" cemetery for paupers.  Paupers, prisoners, and others resided on the island and were used as workers to bury the dead on the island.  

Because Hart Island was still part of the Town of Pelham, when such residents of the island misbehaved -- which was fairly frequently -- Pelham authorities, including the Town Constable based on City Island, were called to handle the situations, arrest those who broke the law, and haul them into Town Court in the Town of Pelham, all at the expense of the Town of Pelham with no reimbursement of expenses by New York City.

1884 Nautical Chart Depicting Hart Island and City Island at

About the Time Friction Between the Town of Pelham and New

York City Came to a Head in 1885.  Source:  "CITY ISLAND

HARBOR LONG ISLAND SOUND NEW YORK Scale 1/15000

1884," NOAA's Office of Coast Survey Historical Map & Chart

Collection (Available via Wikipedia).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

In January, 1885, an "indignation meeting" was scheduled on City Island in the Town of Pelham.  The meeting was scheduled "to protest against the conveying of riotous paupers from Hart Island to City Island to be tried simply because the first-named is legally part of the town of Pelham."

Pelham calculated that each time its Town Court had to try any such prisoner it cost $15 per prisoner.  As of January 28, 1885, there already had been sixteen such recent trials for a total expense of $240 (about $8,300 in today's dollars).  Pelhamites feared the financial impact of recidivism since nearly all the trials resulted in mere 30-day jail terms in the County Jail at White Plains.  Thus, the entire Town became concerned that it would become necessary for the Town to issue bonds and incur debt to fund the costs of handling unruly Hart Island residents placed there by New York City, the owner of the island.

According to one published report in late January, 1885, "A committee will be appointed to confer with the Commissioners of Emigration of New York city to provide some other method of dealing with the unfortunate denizens of Hart's Island, all of whom legally belong to the metropolis and should not be allowed to inflct special expenses upon the law-abiding citizens of City Island."

Pelham became so incensed that the clamor to force New York City to annex Hart Island grew.  In the following few weeks, a local newspaper reported that a bill was pending "before the Legislature" to force New York City to annex Hart Island, further noting that the criminal reformatory on the island was a significant part of the problem.  The report further noted that "The island is small and but of little use . . .  The citizens of the town of Pelham are anxious to have the Island annexed to New York City from the fact, as they say, that they have to foot the bills of the criminal expenses of the Island and the latter returns them no revenue at all."

Lithograph Depicting "VIEW OF THE CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL ON

HART'S ISLAND" Published Mar. 5, 1877.  Source:  Wikipedia (citing "Mid-

Manhattan Picture Collection / New York City -- Hospitals -- 1899 & Earlier").

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Eventually, New York City annexed Hart Island -- as well as City Island, other surrounding islands, and the lands that form today's Pelham Bay Park -- thus, ending a portion of the frictions that long had plagued its relationship with its little neighbor on its northeast boundary known as the Town of Pelham.  

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"Too Close to New York.

An indignation meeting is to be held at City Island to protest against the conveying of riotous paupers from Hart Island to City Island to be tried simply because the first-named is legally part of the town of Pelham.  The City Island people object to trying such criminals, for it involves a cost of $15 per prisoner, and as sixteen have already been tried and sent to White Plains Jail for thirty days only, the natives are afraid that if the paupers keep on being unruly and the City Island constable is daily called in to make arrests, it will be necessary to bond the town to pay the cost of the arrests and trials.  A committee will be appointed to confer with the Commissioners of Emigration of New York city to provide some other method of dealing with the unfortunate denizens of Hart's Island, all of whom legally belong to the metropolis and should not be allowed to inflict special expenses upon the law-abiding citizens of City Island."

Source:  Too Close to New York, The Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Jan. 28, 1885, Vol. XVIII, No. 6,032, p. 3, col. 4.  

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . .

A bill is before the Legislature, to annex Hart's Island to the City of New York.  At the present time, while the island belongs to this county, still New York controls it, having got possession for the purpose of erecting a reformatory thereon for its criminal classes.  The island is small and but of little use to this county; but if New York city wants full control of it, let her compensate this county for it.  The citizens of the town of Pelham are anxious to have the Island annexed to New York City from the fact, as they say, that they have to foot the bills of the criminal expenses of the Island and the latter returns them no revenue at all. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 20, 1885, Vol. XVI, No. 809, p. 3, col. 4.

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