Union prison camps notoriously had higher fatality rates than Southern prisons. Camp Douglas I believe has the record for the most deaths. When Lincoln discovered that Northern boys went home after being exchanged while Southern boys went back to fight, the exchange program came to a halt. Lincoln even issued orders to stop feeding Southern prisoners. By Federal law medicine itself was considered contraband in the South. So there was obviously a shortage of supplies for civilians, soldiers, and prisoners. Henry Wirtz was made an example of by the reconstructionist government. This was a terrible time in our country's history. To quote a line from the film Gods and Generals, the preacher in Jackson's office stated that "war would open wounds in this country that would take a hundred generations to heal." I'd say he hit it right on the head.

Keith