Prison conditions in Fort Warren, Boston during the Civil War.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityFort Warren, originally constructed for the defense of Boston from maritime attack, early in the Civil War became a Federal prison camp. While the military and political leaders of Massachusetts continued to regard the fort primarily as a defensive installation, and made numerous efforts to persuade officials in Washington to strengthen it, improvement in the armament of the fort was slow in arriving. The Federal Government, preoccupied with the larger problem of the Union's survival resisted most of the pressure from Massachusetts, and yet when the war ended Fort Warren was in an excellent defensive state, having a full equipment of guns and an adequate supply of munitions. [TRUNCATED