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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

“To Make the Best of Our Hard Lot”: Prisoners, Captivity, and the Civil War

Diaz, Jose Oscar
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1233764501

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
This dissertation examines the captivity of the American soldier during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The plethora of fine works that exist about the experiences of Civil War captives have focused their attention on the harshness of prison life, the resulting casualties, and the need to assign blame. This dissertation takes another approach. Instead, it examines how prisoners of war in both the North and South adapted and made the best of a restrictive and harsh environment. The study shows that prison life, in despite of its trauma and suffering, included the rudiments of an American community. This dissertation also examines the positive aspects of the prison experience. Many captives accepted the reality of the circumstances and set out to make the best of their situation. They used their values to engineer a culture of captivity that made imprisonment endurable and survival possible. The adoption of this culture among Civil War prisoners of war is hardly surprising. The Civil War generation came to war equipped with habits and traditions that made captivity sustainable. These traits did not disappear when the combat soldier relinquished his weapon and commenced the journey into captivity. If anything, the stressful nature of imprisonment pushed these habits underground briefly, forcing the prisoners to reshape them in original ways. Thus, this work interprets captivity as a transforming experience.
Joan Cashin (Committee Chair)
Warren VanTine (Committee Member)
C. Mark Grimsley (Committee Member)
200 p.
American History
Union; Confederate; Prison system; Civil War; Prisoners; Soldiers; United States

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Diaz, J. O. (2009). “To Make the Best of Our Hard Lot”: Prisoners, Captivity, and the Civil War [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1233764501

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Diaz, Jose. “To Make the Best of Our Hard Lot”: Prisoners, Captivity, and the Civil War. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1233764501.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Diaz, Jose. "“To Make the Best of Our Hard Lot”: Prisoners, Captivity, and the Civil War." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1233764501

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1233764501
11,666
© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.