Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison (Images of America: Illinois) [Paperback]

Kelly Pucci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2007

Thousands of Confederate soldiers died in Chicago during the Civil War, not from battle wounds, but from disease, starvation, and torture as POWs in a military prison three miles from the Chicago Loop. Initially treated as a curiosity, attitudes changed when newspapers reported the deaths of Union soldiers on southern battlefields. As the prison population swelled, deadly diseases--smallpox, dysentery, and pneumonia--quickly spread through Camp Douglas. Starving prisoners caught stealing from garbage dumps were tortured or shot. Fearing a prisoner revolt, a military official declared martial law in Chicago, and civilians, including a Chicago mayor and his family, were arrested, tried, and sentenced by a military court. At the end of the Civil War, Camp Douglas closed, its buildings were demolished, and records were lost or destroyed. The exact number of dead is unknown; however, 6,000 Confederate soldiers incarcerated at Camp Douglas are buried among mayors and gangsters in a South Side cemetery. Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison explores a long-forgotten chapter of American history, clouded in mystery and largely forgotten.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Pucci writes for a variety of magazines, Web sites, and newspapers. As a native Chicagoan, she enjoys exploring local history and has written about ChicagoÂ’s ethnic restaurants, neighborhoods, and museums.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (December 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738551759
• ISBN-13: 978-0738551753
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Union teatment of Confederate POWS, June 24, 2008

By 

Sharon M. Bledsoe - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

The book is nice as are most in this series. Was disappointed that there were very few actual Camp Douglas Pictures. Most pictures seem to be historical pictures of Union Troops and Politicians in Chicago. Also others that are slightly related to Camp Douglas and the Prisoners that endured the hardships there. Over 6000 died there and it was the worst POW camp in the nation much worse than Confederate POW camps and the Union government had the money to treat prisoner much better but refused to provide even the basic necessities.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book!, February 28, 2008

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

This wonderful little book is part of the Images of America series, and focuses on Camp Douglas, a Union prisoner-of-war camp, located in Chicago, Illinois. It is chock full of black-and-white images covering everything from Chicago on the eve of the war, through life in the camp, and the graveyard that grew up alongside the camp - the North's largest Confederate cemetery.

This is a neat little book! The pictures are all crystal clear, and have well-written captions. If you are interested in Camp Douglas and the American Civil War, then you would be well-advised to give this book a look. I found it to be an excellent resource, and think that you will too. Get this book!

2.0 out of 5 stars Just a collection of pictures and facts., June 25, 2011

By 

Fishhead (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison (Images of America: Illinois) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my husband who is a Civil War history fan. Boy was I disappointed. There is no actual writing about Camp Douglas. It is a collection of photos of the era and location with captions under the pictures. I am sure this is a fascinating story but you would have to dig it out and arrange it your self. I will continue to search for a history on the camp that follows the establishment of the camp to the end of the war.