Free Prison Camps During The Civil War Essay Sample

The prisons during the Civil War were devastating and were the most terrible places around. Since the cameras were not technologically advanced the photographs that can be seen in the prisons in 1864 as the withered conditions of the prisoners were visible who looked like skeletons and the Northerners were surprised to see the horrible state of the prisons. There was no civil war prison that was as devastating the Confederate Camp Sumter near Andersonville in Southern Georgia. This prison was basically designed to accommodate 10,000 prisoners and Andersonville the name that was given to this devastating prison held more than 33,000 prisons in 1864. This is considered to be the largest number of prisoners held at one time during the prison’s life of fourteen months.
The prison did not provide appropriate food, sanitary facilities, and shelter due to which hazardous and life threatening diseases ran rampantly. Due to this reason more than thirty percent of the inmates died – almost 13 thousand of the prisoners. One prisoner known as Michigan cavalryman John Ransom wrote in his diary that there was so much filth in the prison that it was horrible and difficult to live there. The prisoners were in a terrible state and looked sickening with diseases, and the air reeks were nasty. It is also stated in different areas that the noise of the thirty thousand prisoners never ended and the stockage literally echoed the entire day with clamor that sometimes changed to muffled roar. The main issue for the survival of these prisoners was disease and the poor diet provided to the prisoners. The place was infested with maggots and lice. Since no proper care was taken, the water supply was also contaminated.

End Note

Bernard M. (2009) Andersonville Prison http://www.wright.edu/~jack.mcknight/andersonville/mcknight/bm06.htm