Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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!

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.

Part of the Images of America series, Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison explores a little-known chapter of American Civil War history. Thousands of Confederate soldiers were incarcerated in Chicago during the Civil War, and an unknown number of them died from disease, starvation, and torture. Starving prisoners caught stealing from garbage dumps were tortured or shot, and fear of a prisoner revolt led to the declaration of martial law in Chicago; civilians (including a Chicago mayor and his family) were arrested, tried, and sentenced by a military court. After the Civil War, Camp Douglas was closed, its buildings demolished, and its records lost or destroyed. Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison is not a direct narrative of what happened, but rather presents a wealth of black-and-white archival photographs of crucial people and places; each image has an in-depth caption. The result is a uniquely visual exploration of forgotten cruelties and tragedies in American history. Highly recommended.

This is more of a 'picture book' not the history I thought it would be. I was disappointed. Pictures are fine if that is what you want.