The Union Prison at Fort Delaware: A Perfect Hell on Earth Contributor(s): Temple, Brian (Author) |
|
![]() |
ISBN: 0786466294 ISBN-13: 9780786466290 Publisher: McFarland & Company OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2011 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - History | World - General |
Dewey: 973.772 |
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6.9" W x 9.9" (0.65 lbs) 183 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War - Geographic Orientation - Delaware - Cultural Region - Mid-Atlantic |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Located on Pea Patch Island at the entrance to the Delaware River, Fort Delaware was built to protect Wilmington and Philadelphia in case of an attack by sea. When the Civil War broke out, Fort Delaware's purpose changed dramatically--it became a prisoner of war camp. By the fall of 1863, about 12,000 soldiers, officers, and political prisoners were being held in an area designed to hold only 4,000--and known as the Andersonville of the North, a place where terrible sickness and deprivation were a way of life despite the commanding general's efforts to keep the prison clean and the prisoners fed. Many books have been written about the Confederacy's Andersonville and its terrible conditions, but comparatively little has been written about its counterparts in the North. The conditions at Fort Delaware are fully explored, contemplating what life was like for prisoners and guards alike. |