Fascinating - Civil War prisoner camp uncovered...

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by CNN

Those are the first of what is expected to be a treasure of artifacts that will bear witness to the lives of prisoners and the horrors they endured.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/17/geo...x.html?hpt=Mid

[mookiemookie]

I never could understand how both sides could treat the other's prisoners so poorly in the Civil War. You'd think they'd have some sort of compassion and sympathy for their fellow countrymen.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I never could understand how both sides could treat the other's prisoners so poorly in the Civil War. You'd think they'd have some sort of compassion and sympathy for their fellow countrymen.

It was a different time and place. Compassion for your fellow man was not at the forefront. The roots of hatred ran deep as did distrust and outrite racisim.

It was war after all. Not like wars today fought with high power rifels drones and electronic survelliance.

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I never could understand how both sides could treat the other's prisoners so poorly in the Civil War. You'd think they'd have some sort of compassion and sympathy for their fellow countrymen.

It's the first step people have to take when they go to war, dehumanize the opponent.

HunterICX

[August]

Originally Posted by HunterICX

It's the first step people have to take when they go to war, dehumanize the opponent.

HunterICX

I think the main causes are usually more practical than psychological. After all if your own troops are starving you're not going to feed your enemy prisoners any better.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I never could understand how both sides could treat the other's prisoners so poorly in the Civil War. You'd think they'd have some sort of compassion and sympathy for their fellow countrymen.

Well, how much better was it for friendly troops there? It couldn't have been much of a rose garden for either side during that period.

[Ducimus]

The thing is, they weren't exactly fellow countryman at the time were they?

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

The thing is, they weren't exactly fellow countryman at the time were they?

Well, in the strictest sense, you're right. But before the war, they were. It was still "brother against brother" after all.

Interesting viewpoints.

[TarJak]

This puts me in mind of the prison camp scene in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. I doubt they would have been very pleasant places to be for either side.

[SteamWake]

Not supprisingly the thread immediatly tacked to the sins of our past vs the actual find itself.

Sure there interlated but .... well I would really like to get a look at that site.

A pipe fashoned from melted bullets... sure its lead but who knew.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I never could understand how both sides could treat the other's prisoners so poorly in the Civil War. You'd think they'd have some sort of compassion and sympathy for their fellow countrymen.

The South is simple; no money. They didn't even have money to feed their own troops, let alone captured ones.

[Bilge_Rat]

yes, in the South's case, they had trouble feeding and clothing their own troops, let alone taking care of prisoners. That was the defence raised by capt. Wirz, the commander of andersonville:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderso...ite#Conditions

In the early part of the war, the Union and the rebels exchanged prisoners, which lessened the problem, but the Union stopped that once they figured out the CSA was running out of men.

In the North's case, there was less of an excuse for the poor conditions, but it appears to be more a case of incompetence and corruption rather voluntary mistreatment.

Let's not forget that the diet of serving Union soldiers was very poor, usually moldy bread/biscuits, dried/salted meat and coffee and they were the lucky ones...