The siege, and Battle of Knoxville, Tennessee

[Rising_Sun]

@tankgeezer

I know little of the POW situation of that time, I know only about Andersonville prison in Georgia, a Confederate operation where many thousands died of Mal-nutrition & related diseases, as well as foul water due to poor sanitation practices, and sadly, through predation by other prisoners. Capt. Henry Wirz ran the place, and was executed for his role in that mess. It was said that he was not an American, but German, or Austrian, but I cant be certain of that at all. I am planning to visit Andersonville this year, I’ll post what I find there.
The Union had a notorious prison as well,( I personally think they were all notorious, but these are the worst of them) Camp Douglas in Chicago Ill. I have no details, but it was said to be at least as bad there as at Andersonville.

Andersonville, which rings a distant bell, is probably the prison I had in mind.

I have some recollection that Wirz, like others executed after wars by victors, might not have deserved his fate, but I can’t recall why.

[tankgeezer]

I have heard that as well, scapegoats are all too common in Human warfare. Wirz being the commandant, particularly if he were foreign would make the choice easy. Brutal stuff, but I’m looking through eyes of today, and not those of that time and level of consciousness.