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Prisoners Of War: Pows In American History

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Introduction A prisoner of war can be defined in multiple ways. In simplest terms, a prisoner of war is any person who is captured by another person or force involved in a war (Prisoner of War, 2017). It can also be defined as civilians who take up arms against an enemy openly or noncombatants associated with a military force. However, in strict cases, the title prisoner of war is solely applied to members of regularly organized armed forces (Prisoner of War, 2017). Americans have been held captive as prisoners or war during many wars and in many places. Prisoners of war know better than anyone what it is like to have had their freedom snatched away from them while fighting for their country (POWs in American History, 1998).
American Revolution …show more content…

An estimated 194,000 Union soldiers were taken captive and 214,000 Confederate soldiers were taken. Approximately 30,000 Union soldiers died in Confederate war camps and 30,000 Confederate soldiers died in Union war camps. Neither side was prepared for the war to last so long, so neither side prepared for the large number of prisoners during the four years of conflict (POWs in American History, 1998).
As the prisoners were taken captive, the commanders typically worked out agreements among themselves. Soon an exchange system was put in place but failed due to work because of various disagreements that arose (POWs in American History, 1998). As the substantial number of prisoners increased, the camp facilities became severely overcrowded. Lack of adequate planning, mismanagement, and retaliation led to the suffering of prisoners at the camps on each side. By the end of the war, many camps suffered from a lack of vital supplies, desertion by many guards, high mortality rates, and death. One of these camps was Andersonville. During the fourteen months of its establishment, this camp accounted for forty-three percent of all Union deaths that resulted from the war (POWs in American History, …show more content…

In Europe, roughly 94,000 Americans were interned as prisoners of war. Many of these captives had fought in the Battle of the Bulge or were shot down during flying missions over Germany. Condtions for these prisoners grew worse and worse as the war drew to a close. Some common occurrences in the camps were malnutrition, lack of medical attention, and overcrowding. As American and Russian forces closed in many Americans prisoners of war were taken from camps and forced to walk for weeks in attempt to escape the Allied Forces (POWs in American History, 1998). In the Pacific Theatre – a string of naval battles – nearly 30,000 Americans were interned by the Japanese (POWs in American History, 1998). These prisoners of war suffered a brutal captivity and many were crowded into “hell ships” that were bound for Japan. These unmarked ships were often torpedoed by submarines. The prisoners of war who survived the journey were put to work in mines and other Japanese facilities where they worked seven days a week with minimal food. These prisoners suffered some of the highest death rates in American history (POWs in American History,

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