This was a military prison in Georgia. It was built when it became evident that such large influx of prisoner's were creating a military hazard in Richmond and were also a drain on the local food supply. Formerly called SUMTER CAMP and is located 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA., the prison was made up of log stockade of 16 1/2 acres, due to the large increase in the prison population, it was later increased to 26 acres with a stream running thru it. Rations were the same as those of the Confederate soldier out in the field: Corn meal, bean, and rarely if any meat. The disease and death rate were astronomically high due to poor sanitation, crowding, exposure to weather, and poor diet which contribute to unhealthty conditions.
Only enlisted men were confined there and in the summer of 1864 the population was counted at 32,899 men. There are 12,912 graves in the National Cemetery there. This camp was in existence from February 1864 to April 1865.
This was a Confederate prison in the James Rivers at Richmond, VA. Confined only enlisted men, it was occupied continuously after the 1st Bull Run Campaign. At the end of 1863 over 10,000 men were confined. The men were moved to Andersonville Prison due to the stress on the city's food supply.
This camp was located in Alabama and was used by the Confederates, it was started in 1864. It consisted of an old cotton shed, partly covered, and had bunks for 500 men, by October 1864 more than 2,000 men were confined there. Prisoner's cook their own food, and the water was abundant but at one time it was polluted.
This was first used as a training camp which later on was converted to a Federal Prison camp. It is located west of Columbus, Ohio. In 1863 , population was 8,000 prisoner's.
This camp was originally a training camp for Illinois Volunteers, was converted to prison camp after the fall of Ft. Donelson. It consisted of 60 acres and was located south of Chicago, Illinois. Total population was 30,000. It was closed down in November 1865.
This camp was located near Tyler and Hemstead, Texas. Both enlisted men and officers were confined there. Started in 1863. It held prisoner's till the end of the war. Prisoner's at Camp Ford built logs cabins, and the food, water, sanitary conditions were more than adequate, however, after the Bank's Red River Campaign of 1864, a large increase in the influx of prisoner's resulted in unhealthy sanitation.
This camp was located near Tyler and Hemstead, Texas. It consisted mainly of an open field enclosed by guard line. No other information available.
This was a Confederate Prison located at Millen, GA., was built in the summer of 1864 to take care of the exceeding growth of prisoner's from Andersonville Prison. It consisted (almost in the likeness of the Andersonville Prison), square stockade enclosing about 42 acres with the interior divided by streets into divisions. Prisoner's made their own hut from branches of the trees used in the stockade. In November 1864, the prison camp confined 10,000 men.
This was a Federal Prison located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally the site of the fairground, it consisted of barracks without floor or sturdy walls. In the winter, the barracks were impossible to keep clean and fuel was scarce. More than 1,700 Confederate soldiers died there during the course of the war.
Located at Andersonville, GA., it was the original name for Andersonville Prison.
( See Andersonville Prison ).
This was a Confederate Prison at Charleston, SC., normally confined only enlisted men, there were officers being held there too, one of the them was General Micheal Corcoran, after he was captured, he served for a period of one year.
Located near Elmira, NY., this prison was started in May 1864, by enclosing barracks on the Chemung River when, after the exchange of prisoner's was halted, the Union's facilities were found to be inadequate. The building that house the prisoner's could only hold half the population ( 10,000 men), other were forced to live in tent even during hard winter. Death rate was estimated at 5% of the population each month and the disease, health problem were astronomically high. Ten percent of the prisoner's had no blanket or cover to keep warm and the food was scanty and spoiled. Only enlisted men were confined there.
Originally the site of a medical college in St. Louis, MO., this was a Federal Prison, held, in addtion to prisoner's of war, Union Army deserters, bounty jumpers, spies, bushwackers, and disloyal citizens. The building held 500 men with safety but with the influx of prisoner's, it was not uncommon to have over 1,000 men confined there. The men were a desperate and violent group, and the building was set on fire twice by them.
This was a Union Prison camp in Sandusky Bay of Lake Erie in Ohio. Population was over 3,000 Confederate officers on the island at the end of the Civil War.
This prison was the original site of a warehouse of Libby and Sons, on the James River in Richmond, VA.. Only officers were confined there, and perhap is the most notorious prison after Andersonville. It was a temporary shelter after a series of threatening Union cavalry raids forced the Confederate soldiers to send the inmates to a new prison at Macon, GA. in May 1864.
This prison mainly confined the prisoner's of war, deserters, suspected spies, and persons awaiting trail. Originally the building was a substitute for U.S. Capitol burned by the British in 1812. Once used as a hotel, it was in delapidated and run down condition when it was put into use by the Federals.
This Federal Prison was in Maryland, located where the Potomac runs into Chesapeake Bay. It was established in August 1, 1863, although there were sufficient shelters, there were no barrack, all enlisted men, living in tent. Population was near 20,000.
This Federal Prison was on an island in the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois and Davensport, Iowa. There were 84 barracks in six rows of 14 each one measured 82 x 22 x 12 feet with a cookhouse for each one. High fence enclosed this island that measured three miles by one and half mile in size. Water was scarce and for a time it was nonexistence. 5,000 prisoner's were sent there in December 1863, population was near 8,000 at the end of the war.
This Confederate prison was located in North Carolina and was established in November 1861. It was first designed for spies. Confederate soldiers being court-martialed and deserters as well as prisoner's of war. The first of the Federals came in December 1861 and by March 1862, there were over 1,500. Food was abundant, quarters were spacious, the weather was salubrious, and in March only one inmate died. These condition lasted until early 1864, when the prison capacity was reached, by October 1864, there were over 10,000 soldiers being confined. From October 1864 to February 1865, 3,419 prisoner's died there.