David P.C. Allen was the son of John K. and Margaret Allen. His father was born in 1784 in North Carolina, and his mother was born in 1785 in North Carolina also. On November 27, 1851 David married Emaline McAfee.

David and Emaline Allen had 14 children: John Wiley, George Columbus (1854-1864), James Bascom, Ezeriah/Izraiah McAfee (1856-1859), Ruben Alexander, William Franklin (1859-?), Mary Elizabeth (1861-1893), Martha Arrainy, Thomas David, Cordelia, Margaret Jane, Woody Burge/Burgess (1870-1886), Charley Shivers, and Joseph Demetrous.

David Allen had built one cabin at Lynchburg, Tennessee prior to the Civil War. While building a fireplace and chimney for the log cabin, a deep hole was dug in the yard to use to mix mortar. During the night it rained and filled the hole with water. One of the toddling boys went into the yard and fell into the hole and drowned according to family lore. (Probably Ezeriah)

David Allen was a private of Company A-23 Battalion Tennessee Infantry, Confederate State of America. He enlisted in the army on March 10, 1862 at Mulberry, Tennessee. The Company muster roll for September and October, 1863 shows him present.

Union prisoner of war records show that he was captured November 24, 1863 at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and imprisoned at the military prison in Louisville, Kentucky, and at Rock Island, Illinois, where he was released on February 6, 1865.
While David Allen was gone to the Civil War, Emaline Allen (his wife), Margaret Allen (his mother), and the children lived in the log cabin that David had built.

All of their stock except one old mule was confiscated. One day Emaline saw a man coming over the hill, and she thought that he was after the last mule; however, David's mother looked and she could tell from the way the man was walking that it was her son David instead. He had had to walk home when he was released from the Union prison.

After returning home, Mr. Allen's need for a larger home to house his growing family persuaded him to build another log cabin. He connected the two cabins with a breezeway. He also added a lean-to kitchen and a dining room. This cabin was disassembled and moved to Nashville, Tennessee and then reassembled in 1975-1976. (Still trying to verify this part of the story. Theory now is that the logs were included in the building of the replica of James Robertson's log house, which is in a park in Nashville)

James (Jim) Bascomb Allen, the third son, bought the home place when his father died in 1894. The place was passed on to his son John Wiseman Allen, who was a mailman and was known to everyone around as Mr. John.
(Mr. John sold the place at some point and later built a house across the highway, probably in the 30s)

Although the elder Allens remained in Tennessee, several of their children settled in Comanche County and left a number of descendants in the Comanche area. Children who came to Comanche included James Bascomb Allen, Ruben A. Allen, Margaret Jane Allen (Mrs, W. Tipps), Charley Shivers Allen, and Joseph D. Allen.

David Phillip Allen died March 14, 1894 and his wife Emaline (McAfee) Allen died February 19, 1907. Both were buried in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
INFO TAKEN FROM "David Phillip Coleman Allen" by Lewis Williams.
(Additions in parentheses added by Brenda Allen)

More info from Civil War POW Camp List:
Rock Island Barracks (IL) 1863-1865 Military Prison. Union's westernmost POW camp, located on an island in the Mississippi between Rock Island, IL and Davenport, IA. Originally the site of Ft. Armstrong (1816-36); after the War, it became the permanent site of the Rock Island Arsenal. Ordered to be built in July 1863 but still not completed when about 5,000 prisoners arrived in December. From then until the end of the War, there were 5,000 to 8,000 prisoners at all times. High fence enclosed 84 barracks, each with its own cookhouse. Adequate clothing and usually adequate food rations, but water was scarce and occasionally nonexistent. Major outbreaks of smallpox from the beginning; inadequate medical care and no hospital ward. Prisoner labor constructed sewers and a waterworks (for which they were paid a small amount on the sutler's account books). Several small but successful escape attempts in mid-1864. Many prisoners took the Oath in Dec 1863 and were "galvanized" into the Union army to fight Indians; loyal Confederates resisted this by re-enlisting their own men (whose terms of enlistment had expired while they were imprisoned). Conditions deteriorated in late 1864 and local newspapers began editorially comparing Rock Island to Andersonville (two editors who did so were arrested and imprisoned by Federal authorities for disloyalty and sedition). During the 20 months it operated, Rock Island held a total of 12,400 prisoners; 1,960 died in confinement, 41 escaped, 5,580 were paroled home, and approx. 4,000 enlisted in the Union army. About 200 civilian political prisoners from Missouri also were housed there late in the War. Prison barracks were empty by July 1865 and served as ordnance barracks for the Arsenal until 1909. Confederate and National Cemeteries are still maintained there.

The prison was built in mid 1863, and not yet completed in December 1863 when the first prisoners were incarcerated. 468 Confederate prisoners captured in battles at Chattanooga, Tennessee were the first to arrive, although, over 5000 total would swell the population of Rock Island Prison in that month alone.

There were over 12,000 total prisoners imprisoned at Rock Island during the Civil War. Recorded deaths numbered almost 2000.

Temperatures when prisoners began arriving in December 1863 were below 0 and sanitation was deplorable due to the overcrowding. Disease broke out swiftly, including a smallpox epidemic which killed hundreds of prisoners in the first few months of the prison's existence. Prisoners were buried next to the prison. In the spring of 1864, the bodies of dead prisoners were moved, a hospital built, and sewers installed. These measures improved health conditions tremendously and ended the smallpox epidemic.

In June 1864, the government ordered rations to be cut at Rock Island, in response to the treatment of Union prisoners at Andersonville. Malnutrition and scurvy resulted from these orders contributing to the death toll of Confederate prisoners at Rock Island Prison.

After the war, the prison was completely destroyed. What remains.....approximately 1950 Confederate soldiers interred under row upon row of pointed grave markers to tell the story of these valiant men who fought for the Confederacy. It has been reported, the reason the markers were created with points was to keep "Yankees" from sitting on them.

There are two cemeteries located on Rock Island Arsenal. One is the National Cemetery and contains over 18,000 federal soldiers. The other is Rock Island Confederate Cemetery and contains almost 2000 Confederate soldiers who died at Rock Island Prison.

Many have compared this Union prison with the Confederate's Andersonville equalling the two in horror and death. In reality, the death toll at Rock Island, though high was about 17 % of the total prisoners while more than 27% of the total prisoners incarcerated at Andersonville died.

FROM NPS.GOV:
Allen , David P.C.
BATTLE UNIT NAME:
45th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry
SIDE:
Confederacy
COMPANY:
E
SOLDIER'S RANK IN:
Private
SOLDIER'S RANK OUT:
Private
ALTERNATE NAME:
D.C.P./Allen
FILM NUMBER:
M231 ROLL 1
PLAQUE NUMBER:
NOTES:
General Note - See also 23 Batt'n Tenn. Inf.