Lot
4565 
Confederacy, Lynchburg Prison, Lynchburg, Va., dual franked prisoner of war cover, franked with Confederate 10¢ Blue (12), margins to barely touching at top, tied by "Lynchburg, Va. May 25" cds on United States 3¢ entire (U59) with segmented cork and Old Point Comfort Jun 4 double circle postmark to Bellefonte, Pa., light even soiling & some cover restoration, Very Fine.Scott No. 12, USA U59 Estimate $750 - 1,000.
AN OUTSTANDING PRISONER OF WAR RARITY OF WHICH ONLY FOUR COVERS ARE RECORDED.
Sent by from Private Ephriam Klinger, 148th Reg. Pa. Inf., captured 5/10/64.
At first, all prisoners-of-war were to be detained in Richmond, the Confederate capital, but the jails and warehouses there quickly filled. Auxiliary facilities were established elsewhere. Lynchburg was an obvious choice for a prisoner-of-war camp because of its superior rail system and its remoteness from the front lines.
Located on part of the fairgrounds, the camp was for Federal prisoners waiting to be exchanged. No medical services were available, and many deaths occurred in the camp before the autumn of 1862, when the sick and wounded were moved to hospitals in Lynchburg. After the exchange cartel ceased operating in the summer of 1863, the camp quickly became overcrowded.
Realized: $1,050