The government prevented more mistreatment of prisoners of war very well by issuing multiple laws and charging the accused enemy with murder. Prisoners of war are people who are taken prisoner during a military conflict. There are modern laws pertaining to the treatment of prisoners of war that date back to the middle ages, but the most common source of modern international laws about the prisoners’ treatment is found in the Geneva Convention. Early in the Civil War, the prisons were easily able to hold the numbers of prisoners, partially due to the prisoner exchange agreement. Later, the number of facilities used to hold prisoners was forced to increase.
Prisoners of war were treated very poorly in the Civil war, and the public was outraged …show more content…
Some prisoners in Camp Sumter gave insight on the camp, stating things such as, “There is so much filth about the camp that it is terrible trying to live here.” Another claimed that it was the most misery that he had ever seen in his life, starting, “With sunken eyes, blackened countenances from pitch pine smoke, rags, and disease, the men look sickening. The air reeks with nastiness.” After the war ended, stories and photographs from the surviving spread very quickly, leaving many speechless and vying for justice. The United States government knew that this treatment was unacceptable and that the public would not stop until they received justice. The commandant of the prison, Henry Wirz, was accused of conspiring with other Confederate officials to “impair and injure the health and destroy the lives…of Federal prisoners” and “murder in violation of the laws of war.” The conspiracy never existed, but public anger and demand for action in the North over the conditions at Andersonville gave them no other …show more content…
Because of the inhumane conditions that the prisoners faced, citizens of the United States became outraged, forcing the government to take action and prevent more death. First, Captain Henry Wirz was tried and sentenced to death by a military commission that blamed him for deliberately causing the sufferings of prisoners there. The Confederates believed that Wirz’ trial was false, and they blamed Grant’s decision to end the prisoner exchanges. They rightfully believed that the lack of movement of prisoners created the overcrowding of prison camps, but the United States government was forced to execute someone in order to stop the outrage spreading through the country. Even though they did not make a fair decision, they did take action in order to prevent more inhumane treatment in the future. This was not nearly as effective as other legislation passed to prevent further mistreatment. In response to the Confederate threats of injuring Union soldiers, President Lincoln issued an Order of Retaliation. He stated, "the duty of every government [was] to give protection to its citizens, of whatever, class, color, or condition, and especially to those who ... are soldiers." This action prevented the South from executing African-Americans, which was breaking the laws that stated how prisoners must be treated with respect