Info on Military Prisons and POW Camps

The Prisons

Some General Information on POW Faciltiies, both Union and Confederate These are some statistics on some of the most notorious prison camps that I had records at hand for. I intentionally have listed camps for both sides, since both sides had camps that were truly hell-holes. Not all camps were this bad, by the way, but these were among the worst.

Camp Douglas, IL (USA) - used as a POW camp from 1862-65. It was originally designed as a training station, but with the influx of POWS, it was converted to a prison. It was designed with a capacity for 6000 men, but during its most crowded they managed to cram in over 12,000. Almost 4500 people
died here.

Salisbury, NC (CSA) Designed for 2,000. At one point, over 10,000 people were jammed into it. It was used from 1861-65.

Elmira, NY (USA) Its capacity was designed for 5000, but at one point they managed to get over 9400 people into it. Although they only used it for two years, just under 3,000 people died here. Some have called it the Andersonville of the North, because the conditions got so deadly.

Andersonville, GA (CSA), the most notorious of all of the prison camps. Although set up to contain 10,000 men, at its worst it held over 32000. During its use during '64 and'65, 12,919 people died, in part due to the Confederacy’s lack of resources during this period.

Point Lookout, MD (USA) During the three years it was used, 3,500 men died here. At its most crowded, it held about twice its design capability, topping off at 22,000 at its most dense.

Danville, VA (CSA) Designed for 3700, at its most crowded, they put 4000 men in here. Used from '63-'65; just under 1300 men died here.

Camp Morton, IN (USA) Set up for 2000, it reached a maximum of 5000 POWs. Used from '62 - '65, around 1700 deaths were recorded.

Links If you know of links that would be suitable for this page, or discover one is not working, please drop me a line at [email protected] Prisoner of War Camps

This site has descriptions of the major POW camps, both union and CSA, and a description of the prison exchange system, parole, and other useful pieces of information

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/easylife/prison.html

Union POW Institutions

List of Union Military Prisons

This site, which also discusses Union treatment of Confederate POWs, lists the major Union POW sites with some particulars about each

http://www.darientel.net/~studdard/WBTS-POW.htm

The Camp Curtain Historical Society Homepage

Camp Curtain, in Pennsylvania, among other things, was used as a POW site. This link is to the Camp Curtain Historical Society, which has some background information and some interesting links.

http://www.ezonline.com/campcurtin/

Camp Douglas

This site is on the IL in the Civil War Website...it includes some history about Camp Douglas, a bibliography, and some other links.

http://www.outfitters.com/illinois/history/civil/campdouglas.html

Camp Alton

This site contains a brief history of Camp Alton, and a database of those who died there.

http://www.altonweb.com/history/civilwar/confed/

Elmira Civil War Prison

This site contains historical information, links to various sites related to Elmira, a map of its location, and a reading list.

http://www2.netdoor.com/~52rcourt/elmiran.htm

The Fort Delaware Society

The home page for this group that works for the preservation and interpretation of the Fort Delaware military prison includes information about the fort, some links and pictures, among other information.

http://www.del.net/org/fort/

Ft. McHenry, the "Baltimore Bastille"

This is a brief history of Ft. McHenry's use as a POW facility

http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~etowner/cw2b.html

Johnson’s Island

This is an index page for a variety of links about the Johnson’s Island prison, including links to its history, personal accounts, pictures and other resources

http://www.heidelberg.edu/~dbush/index.html

The Old Capitol Prison, Washington DC

Photo from the collection at the National Archives

http://clio.nara.gov:70/I/inform/dc/audvis/still/civwar/civil074.jpg

Point Lookout, MD

This site discusses the history of the Union prison camp at Point Lookout. The site includes links, maps and other useful information.

http://www2.netdoor.com/~52rcourt/lookoutn.htm

Point Lookout, MD #2

This site includes a history of the camp, along with a collection of documents

http://www.clements.umich.edu/Webguides/Schoff/NP/Point.html

Point Lookout POW Association

This site includes information about the camp history and other things of interest to those researching this camp. The PLPOW Motto: Ancestor "Honor" and Prison "Truth." Check it out and learn.

http://members.tripod.com/~PLPOW/plpow.htm

Confederate POWs and Prisons in St. Louis

This site includes information about the Gratiot St. Prison and others.

http://www.geocities.com/~sterlingprice/prison.htm

Rock Island Civil War Prison Barracks

A short history of the facility at Rock Island

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ilrockis/plac_hist/hist-cp.htm

Confederate POW Institutions

Andersonville: A Legacy of Shame, But Whose?

This is an essay about the reasons behind the treatment of soldiers at this facility. This is from a Confederate point of view.

http://www.pointsouth.com/csanet/andersonville.htm

Archaeology at Andersonville

This site is a discussion of a series of small digs at the Andersonville prison site; it discusses how the prison was constructed based on the remains they recovered. Also on this page is a link to the history of the prison

http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/andefiel.htm

Conditions at Andersonville

A brief discussion of the conditions at this prison site with photographs.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/andecon.htm

Andersonville Mailing List

This is the contact page for the Andersonville-L mailing list for discussing the men and situation at Andersonville.

http://www.rapidnet.com/~greg/Tom/ANDERSONVILLE-L.html

Photo: Issuing rations at Andersonville

This is a fairly large file that is a photo at one of the National Archives sites of Andersonville

http://clio.nara.gov:70/I/inform/dc/audvis/still/civwar/civil072.jpg

Cahaba Federal Prison

Located near Selma, AL...a brief history and description of the POW camp, with a reading list.

http://www.ionet.net/~cousin/dale5.html

Photo: Castle Thunder, Richmond, VA

From the American Memory Collection, Library of Congress

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/cwp/4a39000/4a39800/4a39816r.jpg

Florence Military Stockade

This is a history of the Florence Stockade in Florence, SC

http://members.aol.com/qmsgtboots/florence.html#Florence

Libby Prison

This site contains a history of Libby

http://members.aol.com/jweaver300/grayson/libby.htm

Photo of Libby Prison

From the collection at the National Archives

http://clio.nara.gov:70/I/inform/dc/audvis/still/civwar/civil073.jpg

Salisbury Confederate Prison

This is a site that discusses the Salisbury Confederate Prison in Salisbury, NC. The site includes historical background, and a number of interesting images.

http://www.ci.salisbury.nc.us/prison/csprison1.htm

Baseball Game at Salisbury Prison

This is a lithograph of a drawing made of a baseball game played between two teams of union prisoners...gives you some idea of the look and layout of the prison. From the National Archives

http://clio.nara.gov:70/I/inform/dc/audvis/still/civwar/civil071.jpg

(Looking desperately for more links about Southern military prisons - if you know of any links, please drop me a line!)

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