To be a prisoner during the Civil War was a brutal, dehumanizing experience. At the beginning of the war, neither side was even remotely prepared for the onslaught of prisoners they'd have to deal with. Prisoner exchanges occurred only sporadically throughout the War, so prison camps became an important fact of life during the Civil War. Andersonville Prison in Georgia probably had the worst conditions, and had the highest death rate of the War. However, Northern prisons at places like Elmira, New York and Point Lookout, Maryland were rife with disease and known for poor care of prisoners. This book will examine 23 of the major prison camps (9 in the South, and the rest in the North), and also take a look at the “Contraband” Camps established during (and after) the war. The book contains 85+ illustrations.