"neglect of prisoners, whether in the north or the south, was inexcusable."

No one is argueing that it is. But, there are such things as cause and effect which plays a big part. It was the announced intentions of the Federal Army's of Sherman and Sheridan and others to destroy the ability of the Southern army to continue the war by destroying the abilities of the farm lands to produce food. When you can't feed your own army or the your people in your cities, how do you expect prisoners of war to recieve better?

It called a scorched earth policy and the Union Army used it very well. And for the most part as far as I have read of other books and OR's accounts of such POW's as Brig Gen John Reynolds and others, they were treated very well according to the Richmond Dispatch newspapers.

From my reading and research southern maltreatment of prisoners was more the results of the treatment recieved by southern prisoners. My GGgrandfather had the "honor" of experiencing northern "hospitality" not once, but twice, in the same union prison in New York. He fought them until the bitter end of the war even thought he was physically disabled by an artillery shell burst at the battle of the Wilderness and could have been discharged whenever he wanted it.

There was a discussion of this subject on the Civil War News and Views message board some time back about the actual orders that were issued by the Federal Governnment authorizing such treatment of Southern Prisoners of War. I doubt that you can find such an authorization in the Confederate records.

I can say that because if there were such an order it would have long ago been posted in big letters on every Billboard for all to read, by all the anti-Confederate groups who would like to make the southern people into the villians in any manner they can.