Hello John, I don't believe Camp Chase had that many deaths compared to some other northern prisons like Camp Douglass as an example. What is alarming about the Camp Chase deaths is that 50% of them occurred in 1865 alone, this the shortest year of the war. Just the month of February 1865 saw about 25% of all deaths at Camp Chase during the war. And the first Camp Chase prisoner death was noted in 1861.

As you might expect there are numerous reasons for the deaths.

Camp Chase was a western theatre prison and its Confederate prisoners largely came from the Confederate Army of Tennessee.

The Army of Tennessee had in large been poorly supplied and it's soldiers suffered greatly. Add the bitter winter conditions in mid December 1864 in northern Tennessee caused havoc on the soldiers.

But I'll focus in on February 1865 that being the shortest month of the year. Many of the Confederate prisoners who died in February 1865 were taken during General Hood's Franklin & Nashville Campaign. Some of the Confederate wounded at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864 were in a hospital and after the Battle of Nashville, Tennessee on December 15th and 16, 1864 were taken prisoners at the Confederate hospital. Many of these sick and wounded Confederates were taken to Camp Chase. Some of Hood's hospital wagons had also been captured by the Union near Columbia, Tennessee and it appears that a Confederate hospital there also was captured by the Union forces.

A massive escape attempt had been made by the Confederates at Camp Chase on July 4, 1864. The result was a cut-back in food under the theory a less fed prisoner could not manage escapes as well.

The extreme bitter winter of January and February 1865 was perhaps one of the greatest reasons for deaths. Prisoners were allowed one blanket per soldier and the cracks in the barracks filled the rooms with icy winds. The months of January and February 1865 were noted as being the worst in decades in Columbus, Ohio. While the barracks did have stoves the standing order was they be put out at 1900 hours each night regardless of the weather.

And you're correct about the Union hearing about Andersonville. Senate Resolution S.R. 97, January 26, 1865 was made by Congressman Wade of Ohio and it was as follows:

"January 26, 1865

Mr. Wade submitted the following amendment: Strike out the parts within [brackets] and insert the words printed in italics.

Joint Resolution

Advising retaliation for the cruel treatment of prisoners by the insurgents.

Whereas it has come to the knowledge of Congress that great numbers of our soldiers who have fallen as prisoners of war in the hands of the insurgents, have been subjected to treatment unexampled for cruelty in the history of the of civilized war, and finding its parallels only in the conduct of savage tribes; a treatment resulting in the death of multitudes by the slow but designed process of starvation and by mortal diseases occasioned by insufficient and unhealthy food, by wanton exposures of their persons to the inclemency of the weather and by deliberate assassination of innocent and unoffending men; and the murder of cold blood of prisoners after surrender; and whereas a continuance of the barbarities, in contempt of the laws of war and in disregard of the remonstrances of the national authorities, has presented to us the alternative of suffering our braves soldiers thus to be destroyed, or to apply the principle of retaliation for their protection: Therefore, Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in the judgment of Congress, it has become justifiable and necessary that the President should, in order to prevent the continuance and recurrence of the barbarities, and to insure the observance by the insurgents of the laws of civilized war, resort at once to the measures of retaliation: [that in our opinion such retaliation ought to be inflicted upon the insurgent officers now in our hands, or hereafter to fall into our hands as prisoners; that such officers ought to be subjected to like treatment practiced towards our officers or soldiers in the hands of the insurgents, in respect to quantity and quality of food, clothing, fuel, medicine, medical attendance, and personal exposure, or other mode of dealing with them; that with a view of the same ends, the insurgent prisoners in our hands ought to be placed under the control and in the keeping of officers and men who have themselves been prisoners in the hands of the insurgents, and have thus acquired a knowledge of their mode of treating Union prisoners; that explicit instructions ought to be given to the forces having the charge of such insurgent prisoners, requiring them to carry out strictly and promptly the principles of this resolution in every case, until the President, having received satisfactory information of the abandonment by the insurgents of such barbarous practices, shall revoke or modify said instruction.] And that the executive and military authorities of the United States are hereby directed to retaliate upon the prisoners of the enemy in such manner and kind as shall be effective in deterring him from the perpetration in future of cruel and barbarous treatment of our soldiers. Congress do not, however, intend by this resolution to limit or restrict the power of the President to the modes or principles of retaliation herein mentioned, but only to advise and require a resort to them as demanded by the occasion."

There have been some reports made by Union soldiers at prison in Rock Island, Illinois that say the bill was read to the Confederates on February 1, 1865. As of yet I've not saw anything about the bill being read to prisoners at Chase nor do I know for a fact the bill was passed. But if it was it appears to have been done on January 30, 1865. President Lincoln needed votes for his 13th Amendment on January 30, 1865 and the radical republicans seemed to have wanted something in return. From what I can gather food was even more reduced. Although it was not noted in the movie "Lincoln" one has to read between the lines. You will understand what I mean once you have saw the movie.

The doctors at Camp Chase in my opinion did everything they could to save the prisoners lives while they were in their care but could do little about the political and military environment.

The leading cause for death for prisoners at Camp Chase in February 1865 was pneumonia.

So in short many prisoners came to Camp Chase already in poor heath and with a bitter winter of 64-65 conditions grew worse. If the retaliation bill was passed I'm sure it would further added to the deaths. Although the bill was introduced I'm not certain of its passing. If it was then the words of Lincoln in his 2nd inaugural address "With malice toward none, with charity for all" would forever have an empty echo in my opinion.

I did not want to take Lincoln's words out of context. His full paragraph read: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."