In the Pines, in the Pines: Remembrance and Forgetting at a Confederate POW Camp

The sites of former prisoner of war camps were transitory, ephemeral and temporary places, existing in a liminal state during warfare—neither civilian, nor combatant, both guards and prisoners experienced the camps in an indeterminate state, engaged and connected to the conflict emotionally, while removed and distanced physically. Yet, this very ephemeral nature makes prisoner of war camps—as well as other sites of interment—ideal sites to examine myriad aspects of human behavior, such as issues of power and dominance. Moreover, especially for American Civil War POW camps, a comparison between the historical and archaeological evidence for dominant and subordinate, POWs and Confederate, can reveal some key aspects about past experiences, and present interactions. Preliminary research is presented which explores some of these aspects.