What prison camp is considered to have treated captured soldiers the worst during the Civil War?
Camp Sumter Military Prison, more commonly known as Andersonville, was in operation from February of 1864 until the end of the war. During that time approximately 45,000 Union soldiers were held in captivity at Andersonville. Of these, nearly 13,000 died, making Andersonville the deadliest landscape of the Civil War.
What was life like in prison camps during the Civil War?
Some soldiers fared better in terms of shelter, clothing, rations, and overall treatment by their captors. Others suffered from harsh living conditions, severely cramped living quarters, outbreaks of disease, and sadistic treatment from guards and commandants.
What happened in Civil War prison camps?
About 56,000 soldiers died in prisons during the war, accounting for almost 10% of all Civil War fatalities. During a period of 14 months in Camp Sumter, located near Andersonville, Georgia, 13,000 (28%) of the 45,000 Union soldiers confined there died.
What were the general conditions of most Civil War prison camps?
Prisoners on both sides of the conflict faced similar hazards such as contaminated drinking water, overcrowding, and diseases that passed between prisoners and prison camps. Diarrhea, dysentery, gangrene, scurvy and smallpox were all conditions that plagued prisoners.
What percentage of Confederate prisoners died in the Union prison camps?
For the Civil War as a whole, 15.5% of the Union soldiers imprisoned in 28 Southern camps died while in captivity and 12% of the Confederates in 24 Northern camps died.
How did the federal government change after the Civil War?
Three key amendments to the Constitution adopted shortly after the war — abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equal protection and giving African Americans the right to vote — further cemented federal power.
Where was one of the worst Confederate Civil War prison camps?
Andersonville
The most infamous prison camp was Andersonville, a Confederate prison outside Macon, Georgia which was opened in February of 1864. For the first two years of the war, both sides exchanged prisoners at certain intervals, keeping prisons manageable in terms of size.
Who treated prisoners of war the worst?
The Japanese
The Japanese were very brutal to their prisoners of war. Prisoners of war endured gruesome tortures with rats and ate grasshoppers for nourishment. Some were used for medical experiments and target practice. About 50,000 Allied prisoners of war died, many from brutal treatment.