Camp Douglas Was One Of The Deadliest Civil War Sites In Illinois

When you think of the horrors of the Civil War, not many people think of Illinois being a player. So you might not have known that one of the deadliest Confederate prison camps was located not only in Illinois, but in Chicago. Camp Douglas was one of the largest confederate prison camps in America. It became a prisoner of war camp in 1862. It was so crowded and filthy, full of disease and death that it gained the nickname “80 acres of hell.” Lack of medical attention and food led many prisoners to a slow, painful death. Most ended up dying from scurvy and smallpox. In all, the death toll was around 2,235 prisoners. But that estimate is probably about 1,000 people low. The conditions were deplorable, and despite it being such a tragedy, hardly anyone knows about it.

Here are members of the 71st New York Infantry in 1861.

Matthew Brady/Wikimedia

This is a group of soldiers at Camp Douglas, sometime between 1861 and 1865.

Internet Archive Book Images/Wikimedia

These are Confederate prisoners in 1863.

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The top image shows the camp and the bottom image shows some of the prisoners.

True Williams/Wikimedia

Many people never hear about this camp. Had you heard about it before?

Matthew Brady/Wikimedia

Internet Archive Book Images/Wikimedia

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True Williams/Wikimedia

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