How were prisoners of the Civil War treated?

How were prisoners of the Civil War treated?

Others suffered from harsh living conditions, severely cramped living quarters, outbreaks of disease, and sadistic treatment from guards and commandants. When prisoner exchanges were suspended in 1864, prison camps grew larger and more numerous. Overcrowding brutalized camp conditions in many ways.

How were prisoners on both sides treated during the war?

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 happened to POWs in the Civil War?

Some tried to escape but few succeeded. By contrast 464,000 Confederates were captured (many in the final days) and 215,000 imprisoned. Over 30,000 Union and nearly 26,000 Confederate prisoners died in captivity. Just over 12% of the captives in Northern prisons died, compared to 15.5% for Southern prisons.

How were the prisoners treated in Andersonville?

Prison Conditions. Andersonville had the highest mortality rate of any Civil War prison. Nearly 13,000 of the 45,000 men who entered the stockade died there, chiefly of malnutrition. Guards were also issued poor rations but had the option of foraging for food elsewhere.

What did the prisoners eat in Andersonville?

The prisoners arrived before the barracks were built and so lived with virtually no protection from the blistering Georgia sun or the long winter rains. Food rations were a small portion of raw corn or meat, which was often eaten uncooked because there was almost no wood for fires.

What did prisoners eat during the Civil War?

The dinners consisted of a tin cup of soup (generally bean or other vegetable), a small piece of meat…on which a little vinegar was poured to prevent scurvy. My recollection is we had no other meal… [W]e were always hungry, and the chief topic of conversation was the sumptuous meals we had sat down to in other days…”

What did Civil War soldiers eat for lunch?

Union soldiers were fed pork or beef, usually salted and boiled to extend the shelf life, coffee, sugar, salt, vinegar, and sometimes dried fruits and vegetables if they were in season.

Why did the prisoner exchange program between the North and South fall apart?

Why did the prisoner exchange program between the North and South fall apart? -The war escalated into a very brutal, long-lasting conflict. -Individuals were not very interested in keeping the agreements. -General Grant wanted black and white prisoners to be treated the same way.

Why did Sherman cut so wide of a path when marching to the sea?

Why did Sherman cut so wide of a path when marching to the sea? He had to comb the countryside for food and supplies. The more he destroyed, the more civilian morale was harmed.

What event enraged the union that they refused to engage in any future exchanges of prisoners with the Confederacy?

The Trent Affair was a diplomatic incident in 1861 during the American Civil War that threatened a war between the United States and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Navy captured two Confederate envoys from a British Royal Mail steamer; the British government protested vigorously.

Which best describes how Union soldiers treated Lee after his surrender?

Explanation: The Union soldiers treated Lee after his surrender with great respect. Grant had great respect for Lee and, before they got down to surrender terms, he actually made some small talk with Lee.

Why did Lee surrender at Appomattox?

Fact #4: Lee decided to surrender his army in part because he wanted to prevent unnecessary destruction to the South. When it became clear to the Confederates that they were stretched too thinly to break through the Union lines, Lee observed that “there is nothing left me to do but to go and see Gen.

What did Lee say when he surrendered?

“I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself any further effusion of blood, by asking of you the surrender of that portion of the C.S. Army known as the Army of Northern Virginia.” Lee responded, saying he did not agree with Grant’s opinion of the hopelessness of further resistance of his army.