POW Living Conditions | National Prisoner of War Museum

Following their capture, POWs are transported to prison camps by any means available, including train, ship, or on foot. Conditions in the camps vary considerably according to the time, place, and nature of the conflict.

Some prisons like Camp Sumter, a Union POW camp operated by the Confederacy, were simply fenced-in fields that provided little to no shelter and primitive bathroom facilities. Despite the Geneva Conventions and other laws of war, many prisoners of war have historically lacked adequate food, clothing and shelter. Forced to be resourceful, some prisoners fashioned shoes out of straw; others developed a barter system for goods and services.