Prison Camps In The Civil War

Often, the first thoughts of the Civil War are about the gruesome battles between the union and the confederacy, but perhaps the worst part of the Civil War is not even recognized. When the war began in 1861, the confederate and union states began taking in prisoners. These prisoners of war were treated very poorly, and some prisons saw a death rate of twenty-five to twenty-nine percent (Hall). Prison camps were described as having conditions worse than the battlefields. Every day, prisoners were fighting for their lives rather than fighting for their country. By 1862, both armies had large numbers of prisoners. The confederate states began with the most prisoners, but the North took the lead after capturing Fort Donelson. Prisons began to face overcrowding by 1863 (Rhodes). In earlier years, the prisons were places just for holding soldiers that were captured for a short time while each side waited to exchange an equal number of prisoners to regain their soldiers. This system collapsed in 1863, leaving the camps a permanent place for prisoners. The union army attempted to allow confederate prisoners to join their forces. This became a
All of these were surrounded by high fencing (Hall). Because of over-crowding, there were often shortages of food and water, along with poor sanitation and many prisoners were in even worse condition in regards to their health (Rhodes). Prisons were said to have worse conditions than the battlefields of the Civil War (Hall). Prisoners were covered in little to no clothing and were filthy, as there were no baths or showers. Disposing of bodily fluids such as feces did not exist, water supplies were short, and no one bathed. This itself earned prisons as well as prisoners a description of filthy (Rhodes). Due to the poor sanitation, many prisoners were very hungry and had diseases that were likely to be contagious and fatal