Consequently, the practice of prisoner exchange during hostilities declined. During the Civil War, at first, Union and Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the military land force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, fighting against the United States forces. On February 28, 1861, the Provisional Confederate Congress established a provisional volunteer army and gave control over …
How were POWs treated during the Civil War?
The Civil War is not unusual when it comes to the treatment of POWs. For the first two or so years of the fighting, the North and the South had an unofficial cartel parole program that allowed for the almost immediate exchange of prisoners between the two sides.
What happened to civil war prisoners of war?
American Civil War prison camps. A Union Army soldier barely alive who survived Andersonville Prison in Georgia on his release in May, 1865. Both Confederate and Union prisoners of war suffered great hardships during their captivity.
How did the Union handle prisoners of war during the Civil War?
During the American Civil War, prisoners of war presented major logistical, political and humanitarian challenges to both the Union and the Confederacy. And, like virtually all other aspects of that conflict, the Union, for the most part, did a better job of handling those challenges.
How were prisoners of war treated in WWI?
Individual soldiers were enemies only so long as they were armed and the captors only rights over prisoners were to keep them from returning to the battle lines. This way of thinking resulted in more humane treatment for those officially classified as prisoners of war.
How are POWs treated?
POWs must be treated humanely in all circumstances. They are protected against any act of violence, as well as against intimidation, insults, and public curiosity. IHL also defines minimum conditions of detention covering such issues as accommodation, food, clothing, hygiene and medical care.
What problems did captured soldiers face during the Civil War?
Hasty prison camps were set up. The Confederacy could barely feed it own soldiers let alone thousands of prisoners. Living conditions were crowded, there was little food or medicine, disease was common and thousands died. The Confederate camp at Andersonville in Florida was particularly appalling.
What were the conditions in the POW prisons?
Forced to carry out slave labour on a starvation diet and in a hostile environment, many died of malnutrition or disease. Sadistic punishments were handed out for the most minor breach of camp rules. Most prisoners of war (POWs) existed on a very poor diet of rice and vegetables, which led to severe malnutrition.
Were there POWs in the Civil War?
During the Civil War, over 400,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were held prisoner at more than 150 different prison sites.
What did they do with prisoners of war in the Civil War?
After battle, prisoners were taken to the rear under guard, moved to a train depot and transported to the nearest prison camp, sometimes spending days on a train. Upon arrival, they would then be counted and placed inside the prison camp, meeting their new fate as prisoners of war.
How were slaves treated during the Civil War?
Some slaves were willing to risk their lives and families, while others were not. Many and perhaps most slaves were governable during the war, especially in the early years. Escaping slaves who were caught on their way to freedom were usually very harshly dealt with and frequently executed.
How did the Allies treat POW?
The armies of the Western Allies were under strict orders to treat Axis prisoners in line with the convention, something which generally occurred. Some abuses, however, such as the shooting of German POWS by US troops, did take place.
How were German POWs treated in America?
Prisoners had friendly interaction with local civilians and sometimes were allowed outside the camps without guards on the honor system (Black American guards noted that German prisoners could visit restaurants that they could not because of Jim Crow laws. ), luxuries such as beer and wine were sometimes available, and ...
What did prisoners eat during the Civil War?
“The food, while good, was very scant. Breakfast consisted of coffee and a loaf of bread, the latter under ordinary circumstances, with vegetables and other food, would probably suffice for two meals. The loaf was given us at breakfast, and if we ate it all then we went without bread for dinner.
What was life like for the Union soldiers imprisoned at Andersonville?
It was overcrowded to four times its capacity, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 died. The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea and dysentery.
What was a common disease that Civil War prisoners suffered from while in captivity?
Many-- between 45,00 and 50,000--died in prison from wounds, from infectious diseases such as smallpox, or, most commonly and tragically, from illnesses related to substandard sanitary conditions, contaminated food and water, abysmal nutrition, and from lack of proper clothing and shelter.
What happened to captured Union soldiers?
Records indicate the capture of 211,411 Union soldiers, with 16,668 paroled and 30,218 died in captivity; of Confederate soldiers, 462,684 were captured, 247,769 paroled and 25,976 died in captivity. Just over 12% of the captives in Northern prisons died, compared to 15.5% for Southern prisons.
How many prisoners were in prison during the Civil War?
Over 400,000 soldiers were held prisoners of war during the Civil War. Today we stand here at Andersonville, also known as Camp Sumter Military Prison. During the Civil War, it was one of the most famous prisons as it continues to be today. However, it was by no means the only prison.
What were the hazards that prisoners faced in 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.
What were the prisons in the South?
In the south, many prisons were created in warehouses or open fields. Andersonville and Salisbury are both examples of open-air stockades. The south also worked to centralize prison populations in a small number of large prisons.
How did the stockade prisons cause a humanitarian disaster?
The overcrowding in many of the stockade prisons led to a humanitarian disaster as supplies were not always diverted to the prisoners, but rather pushed to the front lines. In both the North and the South, civilians attempted to aid prisoners as far as they were allowed.
What were the three factors that led to the creation of prisons?
Each government approached prison establishment in different ways, but both created prisons based on three key factors, defensibility, available resources, and transportation . In the north, prisons were shaped out of existing military fortifications, like Fort Monroe or Fort Delaware.
How many slaves died in the Civil War?
By the end of the Civil War, almost 56,000 soldiers died in captivity. Both governments failing to protect the lives of their men.
Where was the prison in the Civil War?
One of the most surprising prisons during the Civil War is on a small place called Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor . An 11-point star fortification built during the War of 1812, it later became Fort Wood, a recruiting depot, and prisoner of war camp for Confederate soldiers.
What was the treatment of prisoners of war?
The treatment of prisoners of war in the American Civil War was truly horrific. During the American Civil War, prisoners of war presented major logistical, political and humanitarian challenges to both the Union and the Confederacy. And, like virtually all other aspects of that conflict, the Union, for the most part, ...
How many prisoners were in prison during the Civil War?
Considerably more fortunate were those prisoners who received outright “parole,” without going to actual prison camps. Of the 674,000 total prisoners taken during the war, approximately 265,000 (nearly 40 percent of all prisoners) received formal parole papers, the terms of which required that these lucky individuals refrain from bearing arms against their opponents until such time as they were “formally exchanged” for enemy prisoners. (Years ago, when I first learned of this “honor code” concept, I assumed it was the Civil War soldier’s equivalent to winning the lottery).
What was the impact of Grant's Vicksburg decision?
His Vicksburg campaign to reopen the Mississippi River resulted in the capture of an army of nearly 40,000 enemy soldiers. The logistical challenges of transporting those troops up the river to a Union prison camp would have significantly diminished the fighting strength of Grant’s own Army of the Tennessee. Furthermore, as noted by Grant in his memoirs, and by other commentators and participants at Vicksburg , the paroled troops were truly defeated, and ultimately caused more upheaval to the Confederacy by being turned loose in the Mississippi Delta to wander home on their own.
How many acres were there in the Confederate prison camp?
The camp was built by slave labor on 16 acres, later expanded to 26 ac res, and was formally called “Camp Sumter” by the Confederacy. Andersonville was designed to imprison up to 10,000 “overflow” prisoners ...
How many prisoners were in Andersonville?
Andersonville was designed to imprison up to 10,000 “overflow” prisoners from elsewhere in the rapidly crumbling Confederacy, but its inmate population climbed to 33,000 by the end of the summer of 1864. Furthermore, its physical design was fatally flawed to begin with. In addition to the absence of any system for waste disposal within the camp, a creek flowing through the camp delivered upstream waste from the military camp where Andersonville’s guards were stationed.
When did the parole and exchange program end?
After the Vicksburg victory, until the end of the war in April 1865, the parole and exchange program was, for the most part, suspended. President Lincoln, Stanton and Grant halted paroles and exchanges for two compelling reasons.
Why did Grant send Lee's soldiers home?
Thus, by the end of the Civil War, while significant war crime allegations would be made over the next several years and debated even to the present day, Grant chose to send Lee’s soldiers home with their horses and other personal belongings to get back to planting and harvesting crops.
How did the conditions for POWs worsen during the war?
Conditions for POWs worsened as the war drew to a close. Malnutrition , overcrowding and lack of medical attention was common. As American and Russian forces closed in from opposite directions, many American POWs were taken from camps and forced to march for weeks as the Germans tried to avoid the Allied Forces.
How many prisoners of war were there in the Civil War?
America's national anthem is the only one in the world written by a prisoner of war. During the Civil War, an estimated 194,000 Union soldiers and 214,000 Confederate soldiers became prisoners of war, more than in any other conflict in the history of the country.
What was the life of a POW?
Life as a POW meant many forced marches in subfreezing weather, solitary confinement, brutal punishments and attempts at political "re-education." Here prisoners received their first systematic dose of indoctrination techniques by their captors. This was a relatively new phenomena and resulted in the Code of Conduct that now guides all American servicemen in regards to their capture. Many Americans were the victims of massacres. After an armistice was signed in 1953, a major exchange known as "Operation Big Switch" finally brought Americans home. More than 8,000 Americans are still listed as missing in action in Korea.
How many Americans were captured in the Korean War?
American captors did not abide by the Geneva Convention. More than 7,100 Americans were captured and imprisoned and just over 2,700 are known to have died while imprisoned.
What are the prisoners of war?
Most Americans who have been prisoners of war are ordinary people who have been placed in extraordinary circumstances by no planning of their own. Americans have been held captive as prisoners of war during many wars and in many places. Still, there is a common bond that is shared by all.
How many Americans died in the Revolutionary War?
Revolutionary War. During the Revolutionary War, an estimated 20,000 Americans were held as prisoners of war and 8,500 died in captivity. Some were subsequently released as part of an exchange system between America and Great Britain. Many, however, were not that fortunate.
What were the names of the prisoner camps in Vietnam?
Americans gave nicknames to many of the prisoner of war camps: Alcatrez, the Hanoi Hilton, Briarpatch, the Zoo and Dogpatch, the latter located only five miles from the Chinese border. After American forces raided one camp, Son Tay, the North Vietnamese moved POWs from the countryside of North Vietnam into Hanoi.
How were prisoners held during the Civil War?
Initially during the Civil War, a system of paroles and exchanges was used. Paroled prisoners were released to their homes after signing a document pledging not to bear arms until formally exchanged.
What was the history of prisoners of war?
The history of prisoners of war is as old as the history of warfare. In primitive times, the captured warriors were considered the personal property of the captor and were forced into slavery. During the Middle Ages, when the concept of ransom was developed, it became beneficial for warriors to capture wealthy soldiers. Holding prisoners required expenses for their upkeep; therefore, prisoners were not kept unless it was expedient to the captor to do so. Soldiers of little status or wealth were killed to reduce the enemy's numbers.
Why were prisoners of war not kept?
During the Middle Ages, when the concept of ransom was developed, it became beneficial for warriors to capture wealthy soldiers. Holding prisoners required expenses for their upkeep; therefore, prisoners were not kept unless it was expedient to the captor to do so. Soldiers of little status or wealth were killed to reduce the enemy's numbers.
How are prisoners of war affected?
Conditions confronting and treatment accorded prisoners of war are affected by such factors as climate and geography, a nation's concept of the armed forces, its view of reprisals as a "legitimate" activity of war, its acceptance or rejection of international conventions on the rights of human beings, and something as simple as the whim of individual captors. Tremendous suffering has been endured by prisoners because of cultural differences between countries. For example, during World War II, because Russia and Japan considered those that surrendered to be totally disgraced, they treated their prisoners with utmost contempt.
Why were individual soldiers enemies?
Individual soldiers were enemies only so long as they were armed and the captors only rights over prisoners were to keep them from returning to the battle lines. This way of thinking resulted in more humane treatment for those officially classified as prisoners of war.
Why were soldiers of little status or wealth killed?
Soldiers of little status or wealth were killed to reduce the enemy's numbers. During the 17th and 18th centuries, more modern thinking on the status of prisoners of war began to develop as war began to be considered strictly a relationship between states.
When did the military give names to prisoners?
The Code of Conduct, issued on executive order by President Eisenhower in 1955, requires the military prisoner to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth.
What was the Confederacy's refusal to acknowledge captured black servicemen as legitimate prisoners of war?
By the end of the year, the Confederacy was willing to discuss returning black soldiers who upon enlistment had been legally free as the Confederacy defined it (i.e., not under the Emancipation Proclamation). That position was not sufficient for top Union officials--President Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and General Ulysses S. Grant--who remained steadfastly committed to ensuring the equal treatment of Union prisoners of war. Davis and Confederate officials finally relented in January 1865, agreeing to exchange all prisoners. A few thousand prisoners of war, including freed slaves, were exchanged by the Confederacy and Union until the end of the war in April.
What was Lincoln's response to the Confederate practice of treating captured black Union servicemen more harshly than their?
This cartoon depicts President Abraham Lincoln's response to the Confederate practice of treating captured black Union servicemen more harshly than their white comrades , even to the extent of enslaving them. The president's policy--Order No. 252--was essentially to respond in kind to the maltreatment. That sentiment is expressed in this cartoon where Lincoln threatens to beat the Confederate sailor he holds by the collar if Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, harms the black boy he is chasing with a cat-o-nine-tails. The unevenness of the fight, though, is conveyed by embodying Lincoln's personal prestige and the Union's military force in the Union president's gigantic size.
What was Lincoln's retaliatory order?
Lincoln's retaliatory order was difficult to put into practice. After a massacre of black soldiers at Fort Pillow (April 12, 1864), the president and his military advisors decided to punish the Confederates directly responsible, should they be captured, rather than to randomly execute a corresponding number of Confederate prisoners of war. Field commanders near Richmond, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina carried out the Union’s only official retaliations. When Confederates forced captured black soldiers to build fortifications in the line of fire, the Union officers made an equal number of Confederate prisoners perform similar work. Thereafter, the Confederates stopped the practice.
Did the Confederates execute white officers?
In January 1863, Confederate President Davis initially vowed to turn Union officers over to state governments to be punished (i.e., executed) as criminals inciting slave rebellions. He backed away from that policy, but the Confederates executed some black soldiers and their white officers. On May 30, 1863, the Confederate Congress stipulated that captured white officers of black troops be tried and punished by military courts, while the former slaves be tried in state courts. However, a number of black Union soldiers were summarily shot while allegedly trying to escape.
Why were POWs important to the Soviet Union?
At the same time POWs became an important source of labor for the Soviet economy deprived of manpower. With the formation of the " National Committee for a Free Germany " and the "League of German Officers", anti-Nazi POWs got more privileges and better rations.
How many German POWs were held by the Soviet Union?
A total of 2.8 million German Wehrmacht personnel were held as POWs by the Soviet Union at the end of the war, according to Soviet records. A large number of German POWs had been released by the end of 1946, when the Soviet Union held fewer POWs than the United Kingdom and France between them. With the creation of a pro-Soviet German state in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany – the German Democratic Republic – in October 1949, all but 85,000 POWs had been released and repatriated. Most of those still held had been convicted as war criminals and many sentenced to long terms in forced labor camps – usually 25 years. It was not until 1956 that the last of these Kriegsverurteilte ('war convicts') were repatriated, following the intervention of West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in Moscow.
How many German prisoners of war were captured by the Soviet Union?
Approximately three million German prisoners of war were captured by the Soviet Union during World War II, most of them during the great advances of the Red Army in the last year of the war. The POWs were employed as forced labor in the Soviet wartime economy and post-war reconstruction. By 1950 almost all surviving POWs had been released, with the last prisoner returning from the USSR in 1956. According to Soviet records 381,067 German Wehrmacht POWs died in NKVD camps (356,700 German nationals and 24,367 from other nations). According to German historian Rüdiger Overmans ca. 3,000,000 POW were taken by the USSR; he put the "maximum" number of German POW deaths in Soviet hands at 1.0 million. Based on his research, Overmans believes that the deaths of 363,000 POWs in Soviet captivity can be confirmed by the files of Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt), and additionally maintains that "It seems entirely plausible, while not provable, that 700,000 German military personnel listed as missing actually died in Soviet custody."
How many POWs were released in 1949?
With the creation of a pro-Soviet German state in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany – the German Democratic Republic – in October 1949, all but 85,000 POWs had been released and repatriated.
How many prisoners were taken by the Soviet Union?
However Austrian historian Stefan Karner [ de] maintains that Soviet era documents indicate that 2.6 million prisoners were taken by the Soviets including 400,000 civilians.
How many prisoners were in the Soviet prison camps during Operation Barbarossa?
After the Battle of Moscow and the retreat of the German forces the number of prisoners in the Soviet prisoner of war camps rose to 120,000 by early 1942. The German 6th Army surrendered in the Battle of Stalingrad, 91,000 of the survivors became ...
Who said many German units sought to surrender to the Americans in preference to other Allied forces, and particularly the Red Army?
Niall Ferguson maintains that "it is clear that many German units sought to surrender to the Americans in preference to other Allied forces, and particularly the Red Army". Heinz Nawratil maintains that U.S. forces refused to accept the surrender of German troops in Saxony and Bohemia, and instead handed them over to the Soviet Union.
What was the worst camp in the Civil War?
Andersonville, or Camp Sumter as it was officially known, has garnered a lot of attention by historians as the worst of the worst when it comes to Civil war POW camps. Depiction of Andersonville 1864.
How many people died in the American Civil War?
The American Civil War remains the bloodiest war the United States has ever fought. More than 600,000 Americans died in the war. It remains one of the most important time periods in American history and is something that even today is often debated and discussed with much importance (the recent protests and discussions surrounding Civil War ...
What was the name of the camp in 1864?
In February 1864, to combat that problem, the Confederate States of America (CSA) commissioned the establishment of Camp Sumter , which would soon take on the name Andersonville (named after the railroad depot in the neighboring county).
Why was Camp Sumter named Andersonville?
In February 1864, to combat that problem, the Confederate States of America (CSA) commissioned the establishment of Camp Sumter, which would soon take on the name Andersonville (named after the railroad depot in the neighboring county).
How many people visit Andersonville prison?
Almost 1.5 million people visit the site of Andersonville prison each year (stat as of 2011). It is one of the most popular Civil War sites in the South. There have been numerous books written about the camp, and there have been even well-received documentaries and dramatizations of the camp produced by Hollywood over the years.
Why are prisoners important?
Like all wars, prisoners play an important role in the interaction between the two sides. How those prisoners are treated is a hot-button issue. For the majority of human history, POWs have not been treated well. In fact, it has only been recently that there have been international agreements on the treatment of prisoners that the majority of the World has agreed to follow.
How many Union soldiers died in the Camp of Andersonville?
The camp was only open for a year, and in that time 13,000 Union soldiers died from poor conditions, mishandling by Confederate officials, and lack of supplies and shelter. Robert H. Kellogg was a sergeant major in the Connecticut Volunteers. He was captured and sent to Andersonville on May 2, 1864.
How did the Confederate and Union prisoners exchange?
Union and Confederate forces exchanged prisoners sporadically, often as an act of humanity between opposing commanders. Support for prisoner exchanges grew throughout the initial months of the war, as the North saw increasing numbers of its soldiers captured. Petitions from prisoners in the South and editorials in Northern newspapers brought pressure on the Lincoln administration. On December 11, 1861, the US Congress passed a joint resolution calling on President Lincoln to "inaugurate systematic measures for the exchange of prisoners in the present rebellion." In two meetings on February 23 and March 1, 1862, Union Major Gen. John E. Wool and Confederate Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb met to reach an agreement on prisoner exchanges. They discussed many of the provisions later adopted in the Dix-Hill agreement. However, differences over which side would cover expenses for prisoner transportation stymied the negotiations.
How many prisoners were in prison during the Civil War?
American Civil War Prison Camps were operated by both the Union and the Confederacy to handle the 409,000 soldiers captured during the war from 1861 to 1865. The Record and Pension Office in 1901 counted 211,000 Northerners who were captured. In 1861-63 most were immediately paroled; after the parole exchange system broke down in 1863, about 195,000 went to prison camps. 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.
What was the lack of parole in the Civil War?
Parole. Lacking means for dealing with large numbers of captured troops early in the American Civil War, the Union and Confederate governments both relied on the traditional European system of parole and exchange of prisoners.
What was the change after the Battle of Bull Run?
Public opinion forced a change after the First Battle of Bull Run, when the Confederates captured over one thousand Union soldiers.
How many Confederates were captured in 1861?
Some tried to escape but few succeeded. By contrast 464,000 Confederates were captured (many in the final days) and 215,000 imprisoned.
Why did the South need the exchanges?
The South needed the exchanges much more than the North did, because of the severe manpower shortage in the Confederacy. In 1864 Ulysses Grant, noting the "prisoner gap" (Union camps held far more prisoners than Confederate camps), decided that the growing prisoner gap gave him a decided military advantage.
How long did it take for a paroled prisoner to return to the military?
Authorities were to parole any prisoners not formally exchanged within ten days following their capture. The terms of the cartel prohibited paroled prisoners from returning to the military in any capacity including "the performance of field, garrison, police, or guard, or constabulary duty.".
