Continued from February 6, 2023.
The part of Camp Douglas where the Union guards were quartered were by and large very good. However, when it came to the Confederate prisoners being held there, it was quite another story.
The prisoners stayed in quarters built in 1861, when Camp Douglas was used for traing Union troops. The floors were not raised to allow the flow of of air beneath. The floorboards were taken out to prevent tunneling and as a result floors were a "mass of mud and filth."
The buildings were 100 feet by 30 feet and into which 125 to 150 men were crammed, "who are mostly in a filthy and disgusting state and swarming with vermin."
They are supplied with ample rations, but arrangements for cooking are poor and food improperly prepared, resulting in much waste. There is a great "neglect of police duty"to the grounds.
--Old Secesh
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