During the American Civil War, neither the North nor the South were prepared for the number of prisoners of war they were yet to capture. A prisoner of war is a person who has been captured and imprisoned by the enemy during wartime. Altogether, there were approximately 144,000 Union soldiers and 215,000 Confederate soldiers held captive. Of these, about 30,000 Union soldiers and 26,000 Confederate soldiers died in camps.
To the left is a photograph taken in May of 1862 of a Union camp holding Confederate prisoners.
To the left is a photograph taken in May of 1862 of a Union camp holding Confederate prisoners.