Prisoners+of+War

=__Andersonville prison __=

====Andersonville, or originally known as Fort Sumter, was one of the largest prison camps during the civil war. Built in 1864, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were kept here. Over 13,000 men died from sickness, hunger, and exposure to poor sanitation. The prison camp covered an area of 16.5 acres enclosed by a 16 foot wall of pine logs. The area of the camp was eventually enlarged by 10 acres in the hot summer of 1864. The camp was in the shape of a parallelogram 1,620 feet long and about 780 feet wide. The sentry boxes were called the dead line, because if you crossed it you would be shot by the guards. The stockade branch supplied the water, which wasn't much at all. The first prisoners at Andersonville arrived in February of 1864. Over 400 men were captured and taken to the prison every day. By June, 26,000 men were overcrowded at Andersonville prison, overgoing a limit of 13,000 men. Many of the men were African which the south refused to give back. The climax of of the prison topped 32,000 men at a time. Handicapped by the terrible conditions, the federal government was unable to supply the men with food, clothing, and enough room. The condition resulted in a breakdown in the Exchange System. David Kennedy " Would that I was an artist and had the material to paint this camp and had the privilege of expressing my mind and our honor, I would describe this place as hell on earth where it takes 7 men to make one shadow."==== media type="custom" key="5649345" = = ====Elmira Prison When Elmira opened in 1864 they were holding about 700 men. Before long, the camp became overcrowded and had a count of 10,000. The overcrowding of prisoners and a limit of medical supplies, lead to small pox and other contagious .These diseases spread through the camp very quickly. Weather made things even worse. On St. Patrick's Day of the same year the Chemung River flooded, filling their tents and barracks with six inches to two feet of water. Prisoners were being transferred from overcrowding prisons. Before the end of august, they numbered almost 10000 men. camp conditions were terrible. The camp had a stagnant pond that stretched the length of the camp that their sinks drained to. The prisoners were barley fed any vegetables and by August there were 793 cases of scurvy. Winters were always the worst because only about half of the prisoners even fit in the barracks the rest of them were crammed into tents. 2,963 of the prisoners at Elmira prison died due to sickness, malnutrition, or bad weather. The camp was officially closed on July 5th 1865. All that remains of Elmira is a well kept cemetery along with the banks of the chemug river.====

=media type="custom" key="5649215"= =**__Essential Questions__**=

Do you think the African American Union Soldiers should be returned to the North? Why?

What do you believe was Lincolns main goal as president?