Unlikely Allies: Fort Delaware’s Prison Community in the Civil War

During the Civil War, over 30,000 Southern prisoners passed through the gates of Fort Delaware over the course of three years. As with all Civil War prison camps, Fort Delaware gained a reputation for wretched living conditions, and is still called the ‘Andersonville of the North’ by some historians. Undoubtedly, there were suffering and death at the prison, but a thorough examination reveals a markedly different picture: that of a group of men and women determined not only to survive, but to thrive as well, despite harsh circumstances.