Portals to hell : the military prisons of the Civil War

This is the most thorough study of Civil War POW camps, in which some 56,000 died. There are no villains here, though plenty of the inept, the shortsighted, the feebleminded, the sadistic. There is a chain of misperceptions leading to disaster, beginning with early expectations of few POWs and ending with both sides swamped with them and reduced to holding them in notorious pens like Andersonville in the south and Elmira in the north. Speer provides a history of each camp, however long it was in use; portraits of key figures and units; frequently grisly statistics and descriptions of camp life and conditions that are even grislier; and notes on the present condition of major campsites. No story for the weak-stomached, this is a telling indictment of how negligence led to mass death -- The first modern account of all Civil War military prisons
-- A full reference listing prisons and their dates of operation

Written in chronological order, Portals to Hell gives new insight into the logistical and political problems involved in holding prisoners of war, as humane ideals in the beginning often gave way to ever-burgeoning prison populations, local opinion, and vindictive commanders and guards.

This ultimate work on Civil War prisons and prisoners covers all aspects of prison life for soldiers on both sides: the lack of adequate shelter; the prisoner exchange program; escapes and escape attempts; women and black prisoners; political prisoners; and food, vermin, illness, and death.

The first comprehensive study of all major prisons, both North and South, this chronicle analyzes the many complexities of the relationships among prisoners, guards, commandants, and government leaders. Examines the major prisons used during the Civil War, which held nearly 410,000 soldiers and caused the deaths of 56,000 men