Devil's Punchbowl (Natchez, Mississippi)

The Devil's Punchbowl was a concentration camp created in Natchez, Mississippi during the American Civil War to control freed slaves.

For other uses, see Devil's Punch Bowl (disambiguation).

Description

As Black slaves were freed during the war after the Emancipation Proclamation, Confederate Army soldiers pushed them toward the Union Army in order to slow the Union advance.[1] As a result, Natchez, Mississippi quickly grew in population from around 10,000 to over 100,000.

In order to control the large numbers of African Americans, the Union Army created a walled encampment at a location known as the Devil's Punchbowl, a natural pit surrounded by bluffs. Many of the captive ex-slaves died of starvation, smallpox, and other diseases.[2]

Criticism

Some have suggested that the stories have been embellished or fabricated by Confederate apologists intent on blaming the Union Army for atrocities.[3]

References
  1. "Devil's Punch Bowl in Natchez: Confederate Disaster and Propaganda Campaign | flyingpenguin".
  2. "The Devil's Punchbowl (Mississippi), a story".
  3. "When Lost Causers Drink from the Devil's Punchbowl They Are All Wet". 10 March 2020.


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