Fred
Let me make a suggestion for a search for a prison in Hannover, that is the
city of Hannover. LdS has some Adress Bücher on film which date back to the
early 1890's, possibly earlier than that. These are a great source for
location, as well as those in charge of the facilities. I know of two, one in
Linden and one in the Bult, however I think those were built some time around
the turn of the century. I recall visiting my grandfather in Linden, he was a
political prisoner in the last part of WW2.
As far as the civil war records are concerned. I have received great
information, especially from the pension records. The military records only
tell you were he was stationed and mustered in/out and counted, although some
medical information is in those too. From the pension records one finds
associated family, those who vouched for him, direct receipients of the
pension, ie children, wife, self. Remember, the pension and military records
are two seperate entities and it will cost for each. They are available from
NARA, there are some indexes available to locate your person and give
unit/division/regiment information. This is important, as you need to
identify the correct one, or pay to have additional person's records.
Good luck
Guenter in Michigan