Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War
The holding of prisoners of war has always been both a political and a military enterprise, yet the military prisons of the Civil War, which held more than four hundred thousand soldiers and caused the deaths of fifty-six thousand men, have been nearly forgotten. Now Lonnie R. Speer has brought to life the least-known men in the great struggle between the Union and the Confederacy, using their own words and observations as they endured a true "hell on earth." Drawing on scores of previously unpublished firsthand accounts, Portals to Hell presents the prisoners' experiences in great detail and from an impartial perspective. The first comprehensive study of all major prisons of both the North and the South, this chronicle analyzes the many complexities of the relationships among prisoners, guards, commandants, and government leaders.

Lonnie R. Speer is a freelance writer with a special interest in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated and America's Civil War.
1111178362
Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War
The holding of prisoners of war has always been both a political and a military enterprise, yet the military prisons of the Civil War, which held more than four hundred thousand soldiers and caused the deaths of fifty-six thousand men, have been nearly forgotten. Now Lonnie R. Speer has brought to life the least-known men in the great struggle between the Union and the Confederacy, using their own words and observations as they endured a true "hell on earth." Drawing on scores of previously unpublished firsthand accounts, Portals to Hell presents the prisoners' experiences in great detail and from an impartial perspective. The first comprehensive study of all major prisons of both the North and the South, this chronicle analyzes the many complexities of the relationships among prisoners, guards, commandants, and government leaders.

Lonnie R. Speer is a freelance writer with a special interest in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated and America's Civil War.
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Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War

Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War

by Lonnie R. Speer
Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War

Portals to Hell: Military Prisons of the Civil War

by Lonnie R. Speer

Paperback

$24.95 
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Overview

The holding of prisoners of war has always been both a political and a military enterprise, yet the military prisons of the Civil War, which held more than four hundred thousand soldiers and caused the deaths of fifty-six thousand men, have been nearly forgotten. Now Lonnie R. Speer has brought to life the least-known men in the great struggle between the Union and the Confederacy, using their own words and observations as they endured a true "hell on earth." Drawing on scores of previously unpublished firsthand accounts, Portals to Hell presents the prisoners' experiences in great detail and from an impartial perspective. The first comprehensive study of all major prisons of both the North and the South, this chronicle analyzes the many complexities of the relationships among prisoners, guards, commandants, and government leaders.

Lonnie R. Speer is a freelance writer with a special interest in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated and America's Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803293427
Publisher: UNP - Bison Books
Publication date: 11/01/2005
Pages: 442
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author


Lonnie R. Speer is a freelance writer with a special interest in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated and America’s Civil War.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsix
Introductionxiii
Chapter 1Overview on Tragedy1
1861
Chapter 2Makeshift Prisons19
Chapter 3Life as a Prisoner of War53
1862
Chapter 4Prison Creation67
Chapter 5Prisoner Exchange97
Chapter 6Black Soldiers and POWs107
1863
Chapter 7Prison Expansion119
Chapter 8The Overseers161
1864
Chapter 9The Growing Prison Crisis173
Chapter 10Escape219
1864-1865
Chapter 11Prison Compounds241
Chapter 12Release and Revenge283
Epilogue: Past and Present297
Appendix AThe Language of the Prison Camps313
Appendix BMedical Glossary321
Appendix CPrison Quick-Reference Guide323
Notes341
Bibliography377
Index399
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