Of Special Interest . . . Paul D. Raffenello

Filmmaker Works on Fort Warren Prison
By Hilary Miller
BOSTON, Mass. - Rising from George's Island in Boston Harbor are the enormous, granite walls of Fort Warren, the Northern prison that was described by one its inmates as "a light spot in a generally dark life." This unique Civil War prison island has captured the interest of a young film maker and is the subject of his first independent documentary.

Erik Ewers, who recently began the production company Calvin Films, recently completed the script and will be directing and producing the documentary with the help of co-producer John Moon.

Ewers has worked with Ken Bums' film company Florentine Films since 1990 and served on the production and editorial teams of Bums' projects including "Empire .of the Air," a history of American radio; "Baseball;" "Thomas Jefferson," that is to be aired in February; and the up-coming documentary on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Ewers has found that creating a film project independently is altogether a different experience.

"If s a great challenge to make your own film. There are so many odds stacked against you," Ewers says. "The easy part is making the film itself. The bard part is finding the money to make it.

'We've come a long way with funding," Ewers continues. "John Moon has been very instrumental in trying to get the Civil War community behind us." . Calvin Films is attempting to gain financial support from the Association for Preservation of Civil War Sites, the Civil War Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"We feel we can get them involved we can show corporate sponsors that this is an important landmark and that we are committed to creating this," says Ewers.

The documentary will be shot on 16mm film and include extensive footage of the fort, interviews, old photographs and authentic newspaper clippings.

"Basically," Ewers explains, "it's going to be told through a style very similar to Bums' - using first-person voices to bring the stories to life and narration that will tell the story itself."

If funds can be secured by this spring Ewers and Moon plan to begin filming interviews with experts on the history of Fort Warren.

"From there our goal is to start shooting at Fort Warren using some reenactors as backdrops - not playing characters and not recognizable, but ghost-like,' says Ewers.

Ewers intends on soliciting celebrities for the voice-overs and narration but realizes acquiring big names is often a difficult procedure. Ken Bums narrated the promotional video Ewers and Moon produced to shop the idea around for funding.

Although Ewers works for Burns, who created the documentary series "The Civil War" aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), both Ewers and Moon want to keep a healthy distance from Burns' name.

"I've asked Ken Bums to be a consultant on the project, for someone to look to and to ask advice, but John felt it was important to do it on our own to say this is truly our project and I felt the same. So as a friend and mentor he 1]3ums] said he would help me and point me in the right direction."

Everything completed so far on the Fort Warren project has been achieved on a part-time basis as Ewers still holds his full-time job with Florentine Films. Thus, the completion date is set for several years from now.

"My approach is to look at it realistically. I still have to make a living and do it right and not go astray from my vision," Ewers realizes. "I am looking forward to a hiatus after Lewis and Clark, which should he about six months, and throwing myself into the project. Finishing the script was a big hurdle to me and gave me motivation to keep going."

It is hoped the documentary will be picked up by PBS; however, Ewers wants to have a budget in place before establishing a relationship with any of the networks.
Construction began in 1833 on Fort Warren which was initially intended as part of the maritime fortification and defense system of the East Coast that emerged from the War of 1812. The fort, however, was never combat ready during the Civil War and was not officially completed until 1866. Thus, initially it was used as a training camp and garrisoned the 14th Massachusetts Infantry.

Fort Warren at the outbreak of war held smugglers and a few political prisoners, some of whom were Maryland legislators arrested in a controversial move by the Lincoln Administration for contemplating secession from the Union.

After the Federal capture of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras foils in 1861 prisoners began arriving at Fort Warren. One hundred Confederate prisoners were expected as the first arrivals, including transfers from Governor's Island in New York. Hundreds more arrived, for whom there were no provisions and inadequate facilities.

This backdrop and what happened next sets the stage for the documentary.

"Commander [Justin] Dimick went to the public for help and the Outpouring of gifts from the community was incredible," Ewers relates. "Instead of being a really horrific prison or an Andersonville where a lot of atrocities occurred, Fort Warren became a haven where prisoners were kind of cradled in the arms of the community.

"It was a sharp contrast to every other prison in military history and the reason is twofold. Dimick was a devote Christian and he was able to look past the issues of war and remember these people were still Americans. And the thing that is more amazing is the Boston community felt the same way. The prisoners lived like the elite society of that time."

Ewers continues, "The basic theme of the documentary is that Fort Warren is representational of what we call the American spirit. Commander Dimick set the stage for the treatment of the prisoners, he treated them like his own children and was often later repaid by his prisoners."

Confederate prisoners reportedly wrote a note to be carried by Commander Colonel Dimick's son in battle requesting reciprocally kind treatment if he were ever captured. Dimick's son was killed and by the end of the war the commander had lost his wife and four other children. Upon hearing the news, a former prisoner and his family invited Dimick to their house in Baltimore.

Only 12 of the 2,307 prisoners died at the prison from illnesses contracted before confinement, Ewers has found the grave of Commander Dimick, who is buried in Portsmouth, N.H., but not the others.

After the Civil War Fort Warren kept its status as a maritime fortification and was used through both World Wars. It was officially closed after World War U, remained vacant for a period and was then transferred to the Metropolitan District Commission.

Today the fort is still owned and administered by the Metropolitan District Commission, which now operates the site as a public park. A large reenactment is held at the site each summer, but other than that, most Bostonians use the island as a place to get away. Ewers notes the site has been maintained well, but funds for further up-keep and restoration have dwindled.

"It has been restored enough to go through it and see what it looked like during the Civil War, but there is a lot in ruin. That is partly why the project came into being -- to document the history and raise public awareness of the efforts being made to restore the fort before it is too late," explains Ewers. Apart from graduate dissertations, little has been written about Fort Warren.

The primary sponsor for restoring the fort is the Civil War Round Table of Central Massachusetts. Recent legislation has placed George's Island, and all other harbor islands, tinder the administration of the National Park Service and Ewers hopes the legislation will free up more restoration money for the fort. He also is optimistic that his work while producing the documentary will benefit the former prison.

"It is overshadowed by Boston's Revolutionary War history and we're trying to bring it out of the shadows," states Ewers.

Ewers and Moon welcome financial support for the film. For information, contact Erik Ewers, 29Q Windsor Court, Keene, N.H. 03431, (603) 357-2606.

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