Alexandria At War With (Madeline Feierstein) Episode Four: A City on Lockdown

Send us Fan Mail

Alexandria At War With (Madeline Feierstein) Episode Four: A City on Lockdown

In this episode of Alexandria at War, produced by the American Civil War & UK History podcast, host Daz is joined by historian Madeline Feierstein of Rooted in Place to explore the prisons of Alexandria during the American Civil War.

During the American Civil War, Alexandria became an important Union-controlled city and a key location for holding prisoners. Its position just across the river from Washington made it ideal for detaining captured Confederate soldiers, suspected spies, and civilians accused of disloyalty.
Rather than one large prison, Alexandria had several smaller facilities spread across the city. 

These included converted buildings such as warehouses, a former slave pen (now the Freedom House Museum), and specialised prisons like the Wilkes Street Female Prison for women. Prisoners were often held temporarily before being transferred to larger prisons in Washington.

Conditions were typically harsh, with overcrowding, limited supplies, and poor sanitation, although they were not on the same scale as major prison camps like Andersonville Prison. Overall, Alexandria functioned as a busy detention and processing hub rather than a long-term prison center.

All episodes Available here 
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq4wzArTJ9uTb_EG0lWAE8TWoQTNC36PM&si=Ig95lmMX2ynPvkM2

Rooted in Place 
www.madelinefeierstein.com

ACW & UK History's Website.
https://www.acwandukhistory.com/

ACW & UK History's Pages.
https://linktr.ee/ACWandUKHISTORY

Support the show