Civil War POW Camp

During the Civil War, thousands of captured U.S. soldiers were confined at the notorious Belle Isle prisoner-of-war camp near Richmond. After the war began in 1861, military prisoners crowded Richmond’s jails and warehouses until a formal prisoner exchange agreement was signed on July 22, 1862. Confederate authorities then built a camp on Belle Isle, and by the end of July 5,000 enlisted men were packed into it. At first, despite crowding, the weather was tolerable and guards allowed the prisoners to bathe in the river. By September 23, before cold weather arrived, most prisoners had been exchanged and the camp closed. Prisoner exchanges stopped in January 1863, and captured Federal soldiers were again confined there. A tent city and wooden support buildings were constructed, thousands of prisoners filled the camp, supplies dwindled, and conditions worsened. The following winter life became intolerable, and men allegedly froze for lack of tents and blankets. In February 1864, Confederate authorities began sending prisoners to other camps, and Belle Isle closed on March 24. It reopened on June 7, 1864, to hold Union soldiers captured during the Federal campaign toward Richmond, but because the city was threatened, most were soon transported south. The camp was virtually empty when Richmond fell on April 3, 1865.

Richmond, Virginia · United States