Camp Douglas

Say what you will about northern and southern racism during the 19th century, it was the southern racist rage against black union soldiers that doomed the exchange cartel, and thus directly created the horrific conditions in the POW camps.
"southern racist rage"
Bull. In regard to their slaves being used against them - Confederate policy was basically the same as that of the United States in previous wars. It was the Union that made the decision to use the enemy's slaves in the war. No one forced them. What was international law on the subject?
 
Camp Douglas...
...where bodies were buried in shallow graves and washed out into Lake Michigan or were sold to colleges.
4500 known dead and 1500 missing. Can you believe it? A POW camp with 1500 missing! No one knows what happened to them.
 
To better understand Camp Douglas, what are the recommend books to read?

For a non-emotional, non-rhetoric charged, balanced work on all Federal and Confederate POW facilities during the War, I highly recommend "Portals To Hell - Military Prisons of the Civil War" by Lonnie R. Speer which goes into great detail about Camp Douglas. The book is well researched with tons of primary sources provided.

"To Die in Chicago: Confederate Prisoners at Camp Douglas 1862-65" by George Levy is probably the "go to" book that deals exclusively with Camp Douglas.
 
"southern racist rage"
Bull. In regard to their slaves being used against them - Confederate policy was basically the same as that of the United States in previous wars. It was the Union that made the decision to use the enemy's slaves in the war. No one forced them. What was international law on the subject?
They weren't slaves anymore. They were soldiers.
 
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