WTF?
The Northern POW camps were Hell hole just as bad or worse than Andersonville considering the North had the food & supplies to maintain their POW camps. The union prisoners in the South were no worse of than the Confederate soldiers.
These are some statistics on some of the most notorious prison camps. 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.
All the numbers:
http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/prisons.htm
(1) Confederate Government, vol. ii. p. 607; War between the States, vol. ii. p. 508. Stanton’s report was based on that of the commissary-general of prisoners (O. R., ser. ii. vol. viii. pp. 946, 948), and gave the following statistics:
Deaths of Confederate prisoners of war . . . . .26,436
Deaths of Union prisoners of war . . . . . . . 22,576
Number of Confederate prisoners of war . . . . . 220,000
Number of Union prisoners of war about . . . . . 126,950
Neither Davis nor Stephens gives these numbers of prisoners but cite SurgeonGeneral Barnes (U.S.) as authority for the statement that there were 220,000 Confederate and 270,000 Union prisoners of war.
Davis indicates no authority but Stephens refers to an editorial in the National Intelligencer as his source for Barnes’s figures.
I have not been able to unearth any such statement of Barnes, and General F. C. Ainsworth advises me under date of June 29,1903 that in official record of it has been found.
At all events the statement is incorrect.
It may be affirmed on the highest authority that while the records of Union prisons are nearly complete those of the Confederate are meagre: of twelve Southern prisons the War Department has not been able to secure the “death registers” and of five others only partial records were obtainable; hence “the total number of deaths in Confederate prisons. . . may never be definitely known.”
General F. C. Ainsworth, Chief of the Record and Pension Office, to whom I am indebted for this information adds:
” According to the best information now obtainable, from both Union and Confederate records,it appears that 211,411 Union soldiers were captured during the civil war, of which number 16,668 were paroled on the field and 30,218 died while in captivity; and that 462,634 Confederate soldiers were captured during that war, of which number 247,769 were paroled on the field and 25,976 died while in captivity.” (1)
Thus the mortality was a little over 12 per cent. at the North and 15% at the South.
Taking into account the better hospitals, more skillful physicians, the ample supply of medicines and the abundance of food at the North and the exceptionally high death-rate at Andersonville, Florence and Salisbury one might have expected a greater difference, which would probably be the case were all the deaths in the Confederacy known.
Still it should be remembered that as the Southern summer bore hardly on the Union prisoners so did the Northern winter increase the mortality of the Confederates as the number of deaths from pneumonia bear witness.
My family docked a cabin cruiser at Coles Pt. VA for years.
One day, just for kicks, we went over to Pt Lookout instead of fishing offshore of Sandy Pt.
I’ll never go back there again.
Even in broad daylight, the place feels -bad-.
It may even be more unforgivable on the Norths Part as they generally had their 'stuff' together, hence could have fed the Confederates better.
But one would think at some point, someone - anyone - would have stopped and asked just what this war has brought to us.
I recall reading where at the end of the Second World War in Germany, Gen. Patton ordered all German civilians to brought to a nearby death camp and shown 'German Kulture'. One Mayor and his wife, after visiting one of those camps, returned home and hung themselves....
But I'm still having a hard time believing that all those Union troops committed suicide while at Andersonville. but then if I read it at Free Republic, it must be true!
Union POW camps were indeed hell-holes, as were confederate ones. Both sides could have treated their prisoners better, but didn't. Both sides could have provided decent housing, but didn't. Both sides could have provided adequate food, but didn't. The treatment of POWs on both sides was deliberate and a stain on both. Wirz was the only POW camp commander to be tried for his crimes, and as guilty as he was there should have been more individuals from both sides in the dock with him.