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Pearl River Bridge Prisoner of War Camp
Search, View, Print Union & Confederate Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865
Confederate 1862-1863
Jackson, Mississippi
This prison was an unusual Confederate prison. It was located in the ruin of a covered bridge on the Pearl River in Jackson, Mississippi.
Conditions for the 400 Union prisoners were miserable. They were crowded in the bridge, which was just a rickety structure. During the winter of 1862, they had to endure the cold without any beds or blankets.
Afraid that the bridge might burn, the Confederate guards did not allow any fires for cooking or warmth. Candles were not allowed either. Exposure and diseases caused frequent deaths among the prisoners. Almost every day, 2 or 3 dead prisoners were taken out of the bridge. Sometimes, the dead bodies would be left at the bridge's entrance until they would be taken away.
