What were Prisoner of War camps like during the Civil War, what were the conditions and how did it effect the prisoners?
During the Civil War Prisoner of war camps were used when enemy soldiers were captured outside of their territory; those camps were overcrowded, disease ridden, and in terrible conditions. The statistics behind the prisoner of war camps have been concluded by multiple sources and records. In the four years of the Civil War more than 150 POW camps were established in the North and South combined (“Prisons”). That number of camps may seem large, but it clearly was not enough considering the issues concerning overcrowding. Though the exact number of deaths is not certain, records state 347,000 men died in camps total, 127,000 from the Union, and 220,000 from the Confederacy (“Prisons”). Of the men that died in the Civil War more than half of them were prisoners of war. When comparing the camps to war they should not have been so similar, Men in camps were usually left to die. They suffered from mental trauma and health complications the same if not worse than soldiers fighting the war. An example of prisons valuing extraneous items over the prisoners. From the years 1862-1865 Belle Isle held prisoners in Virginia under terrible conditions according to poet Walt Whitman. The prisoners endured the biting cold, filth, hunger, loss of hope, and despair (“Civil…Prison”). Belle Isle had an iron factory and hospital on the island, yet barracks were never built (Zombek). The prisoners only had small tents to protect them from the elements. The lack of shelter shows the priorities of the prisoners’ needs whilst having a hospital and iron factory. As an open-air stockade escaping Belle Isle was increasingly difficult (Zombek). The total disregard when it comes to the prisoner’s safety and protection from elements when it comes to Elmira is ridiculous. In July of 1864 Elmira prison was opened. Elmira was known for the terrible death rate of 25% and for holding 12,123 men Bailey when the regulated capacity was 4,000 (“Civil…) Prison”). The urgent need for medical supplies was ignored by the capital (“Elmira”). When winter came Elmira the prisoner’s clothing was taken and when Southerners were sent things, they would burn it if it were not grey (“Elmira”). The mistreatment of prisoners was intentional at Elmira as well as other prisons. After taking a glimpse at some prisons and the overall statistics of camps the following is still quite shocking. Andersonville was a Confederate prisoner of war camp, it is painted out to be the worst one in history.
Prisoners at Andersonville were so malnourished they looked like walking bones. They began to lose hope and turned to their lord. In Andersonville, the shelter, or lack thereof, was another issue. Prisoners had to use twigs and blankets due to inflation in lumber prices (“Civil…) Deadliest”). This represents how every material’s price adds up and contributes to the conditions. Within 14 months of 13,000 of the 45,000 prisoners died. The prison was low on Beef, cornmeal, and bacon rations meaning the prisoners lacked vitamin C therefore, most got scurvy (“Civil…) Prison”). With the guards turning a blind eye, prisoners had to fend for themselves. Some took this lack of authority to far and those were the “Andersonville Raiders.” They stole food, attacked their equals, and stole waves from their shelters (Serena). Andersonville especially made people turn violent and caused them to lose faith in humanity. A 15-foot-high stockade guarded the camp though the true threat was a line. 19 feet within the stockade there was a line, to keep prisoners away from the walls. If a prisoner were caught crossing the line they would be shot and killed (Serena). This technique was honestly unnecessary and a waste of resources. First the conditions now, the location of Andersonville. A swamp ran through the camp, with little access to running water or toilets prisoners used the swamps. This polluted the water, making it even more non-consumable (Serena). In the process of building Andersonville Prison, slave labor was implemented to build the stockade and trenches (Davis). The camps abused their Bailey power to not only harm prisoners but to use slaves. From swelling numbers of prisoners, they started having trouble finding space to sleep (Davis). With the capacity increasing and disgusting conditions it was a funhouse for disease. Andersonville was assumed to be the optimal position for a POW camp because of the food, the only problem was farmers did not wish to sell crops to the Confederacy (“Myths”). This is just another example of how Andersonville would have been better if given more assistance.
Was any justice ever served for the men who ran the camp.
James Duncan and Henry Wirz were both officers of Andersonville after the prison closed, they were both charged with war crimes (Davis). Wirz’s two-month trial started in August 1865. The trial included 160 witnesses, Wirz did not show a distaste towards prisoners. He served as a scapegoat for many of the allegations, he was charged with harming the lives and health of Union soldier’s and murder (“Henry”). Henry Wirz was a witness to all the mistreatment in Andersonville as a commander, therefore making him liable for the thousands of prisoners who died. Wirz was then executed (“Henry”). Unlike Wirz, Duncan was lucky, after a two-and-a-month trial he was sentenced to 15 years. After spending a year at Fort Pulaski Duncan escaped (Davis). Duncan was never truly punished for his actions because he escaped after so much time.With the logistics behind Andersonville its to realize and understand the arguments of each the Union and the Confederacy. Why were prisoners treated so poorly when the neck supplies for such was provided. The North had access to a surplus of medical supplies, food supplies, and other resources meaning they could have treated the prisoners better (Prisons). They had no reasoning besides wanting to save resources and torture Confederate soldiers. In the North they just sat around and made the soldiers live shelter less and lack protection from the elements (Macreverie). In opposition to the North, the South did not intend to have such poor conditions. For example, in Andersonville the prisoners and guards were both fed the same rations (Macreverie). The Bailey South struggled more with food compared to the North. Those tending the fields did not have shoes and only a handful of cornmeal or a few peanuts (“Prisons”). The prisoners were not fed due to a lack of preparation. Both sides tried to simplify the reasons for neglect in camps to shortage in food supply and seeking vengeance. Both sides ran the camps differently, but they faced the same problem, shortages of supplies (“Myth”). The south inevitably tried their best though their best was not good enough, the North had the luxury to a choice in how they treated prisoners and they chose the wrong one. During the Civil War Prisoner of war camps were used when enemy soldiers were captured outside of their territory; those camps were overcrowded, disease ridden, and in terrible conditions. It’s safe to say Andersonville was a memorable prison but for all the wrong reasons. The arguments weren’t the best for either side when it came to justifying their actions. Generally statistics involving the camps were definitely interesting and honestly very shocking. All in all prisoner of war camps were unsafe and had terrible conditions but they served the purpose of capturing soldiers from the opposing side during war.
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