Booknotes: Military Captives in the United States

New Arrival:

• Military Captives in the United States: A History from the Revolution Through World War II by Craig A. Munsart (McFarland, 2025).

From the description: "Since the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the United States has actively pursued military operations both domestic and foreign. Prisoners of war represent a natural consequence of such actions, and throughout history, many of them have been incarcerated within the borders of the United States. Incorporating both existing and purpose-built prisoner facilities, the nation has held over one million prisoners, many transported here from across the globe.

Detention facilities existed in almost every state, from large population centers to remote rural areas. Many such facilities have been preserved, while others have been destroyed by the country's expanding population."

Craig Munsart's Military Captives in the United States "seeks to fill a void, examining the history of domestically imprisoned POWs from the Revolutionary War through World War II." The study is divided into two parts: "Domestic Wars" and "International Wars." The former consists of the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Discussing both combatant and noncombatant prisoners, the Civil War section runs 36 pages and summarizes camp conditions and locations on both sides along with the parole and exchange systems. The international wars section addresses the Revolutionary War, quasi-war with France, War of 1812, Texas War of Independence, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, and post-WW2 captive noncombatants.

The author describes himself as a visual learner and consumer of information, and in service of that the volume is chock full of maps and tables. Extensive lists of camp names and locations are collected in the appendix section, organized by conflict. Munsart's study "presents a history that has long been ignored, and one which has a legacy in many Americans' own backyard."