Prisoners of War

Being a prisoner of war during the Civil War was a horrific event, and death was a standard feature. Inadequate medical care, sanitary conditions, food, proper clothing, and other essential needs lacked in these prisons, causing unimaginable hardship for their occupants. Indeed, more than 50,000 soldiers perished in them, accounting for nearly 10% of the war's casualties. By 1864, the South and the North's prison system was overburden due to the end of the general prisoner exchange in 1863.

The Southern prison Andersonville was one of the most notorious prisons of the time, opening its doors in 1864. Around 53,000 Federal troops were confined there, with more than 13,200 deaths. While Andersonville may have been the most infamous, the Northern prison in Elmira, New York, was just as brutal. Opening around the same time, this prison confined over 12,123 Confederate soldiers.

Our collection offers a glimpse into some of these prisons with stories of survival, escape, and daily life; they reveal a compelling narrative of what life must have been like as a POW during the Civil War.