Salisbury Prison: Prison Conditions

In its early stages Salisbury Prison conditions were harsh, but they were livable. It was not until after Ulysses S. Grant ended the prisoner exchange program that Salisbury's conditions deteriorated. Upon the end of the exchange program, Salisbury's numbers swelled up to over 10,000 in 1864. This overcrowding caused a general degradation of all basic accommodations such as food, water, and shelter. By the end of the war several thousand Union prisoners died at Salisbury. Around 11,700 Union soldiers are buried in several massive trench graves, many of whom are labeled as 'unknown'. Salisbury was not quite on the level of Andersonville, but it was still one of the worst prison camps run during the war. The bottom three picture illustrate life within Salisbury Prison. The third picture is a drawing of the hospital at the prison. The next one down depicts the burying of a prisoner. And the bottom picture shows the prisoners playing baseball in the prison yard. The top pictures show a monument in honor of the Union soldiers that still stands in Salisbury.