Camp Douglas, in Chicago, Illinois begins receiving its first Confederate prisoners of war.  There are open sewers running through middle of the camp and only two water hydrants, forcing prisoners to wait in the cold for hours to get water.  The barracks are without floors allowing mud and vermin to enter.  Vegetables are withheld from prisoners, leading to scurvy.  Guards are allowed to rob prisoners of their valuables.  Rations are kept low enough to torture the prisoners with constant hunger.

       Postscript: More than 6,000 prisoners died from disease, starvation, and the bitter cold winters at Camp Douglas.  As many as 1,500 prisoners were listed as “unaccounted for.”  This tagged Camp Douglas as the compulsory Union’s “Andersonville” for its death rate of between 17 and 23%.

       [added 3/26/2022]