The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Monday, April 5, 2021

MCCWRT Prisons Discussion-- Part 5: Horrible Conditions and Diseases

**  The conditions at Illinois' Rock Island Prison were horrible and om top of that they had a small pox outbreak.

**  At one time, early on in the camp's history, prisoners were even able to leave prison quarters abd go to town at Camp Douglas in Chicago and also in Rock Island.

**  An Iowa regiment dubbed the "Graybeards" because of their advanced age once guarded the Rock Island Prison Camp.  Also the 108th USCT.

**  I forgot which Union prison camp this was, but it might have been Point Lookout in Maryland, but there were 64 barracks there, each with 95 prisoners.

**  At Camp Douglas, an average of 18 prisoners died each day

**  Prisoners died from typhoid fever, pneumonia, measles, mumps and chronic diarrhea (called the Soldiers' Disease).

--Old Secesh


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