10. The Threat of Capture and Prison Camps
Beyond the dangers of combat, Civil War soldiers lived in fear of being captured by the enemy. Those unlucky enough to become prisoners often faced grim fates in camps like Andersonville, where overcrowding, starvation, and rampant disease led to unthinkable suffering. Prisoner exchanges between sides were unreliable, leaving many to languish and perish behind barbed wire. History.com documents these harrowing experiences that added another layer of trauma to a soldier’s ordeal.
