▁Confeder acy ▁sought ▁a ▁site ▁in ▁Row an ▁County ▁for ▁a ▁military ▁prison . ▁A ▁twenty - year - old ▁abandoned ▁cot ton ▁mill ▁near ▁the ▁rail road ▁line ▁was ▁selected ▁as ▁the ▁location . ▁O wn ed ▁by ▁Sal is bury ▁Man ufact uring , ▁then ▁by ▁Max well ▁Ch amb ers ▁from ▁ 1 8 4 8 ▁until ▁his ▁death ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 5 , ▁the ▁mill ▁stopped ▁operating ▁around ▁ 1 8 6 0 . ▁Sold ▁to ▁the ▁Confeder acy ▁by ▁David son ▁College , ▁it ▁was ▁brick ▁and ▁three ▁stories ▁tall ▁with ▁an ▁att ic . ▁C ott ages ▁and ▁a ▁stock ade ▁were ▁later ▁added . ▁The ▁number ▁of ▁prisoners ▁increased ▁from ▁ 1 2 0 ▁in ▁December ▁ 1 8 6 1 ▁to ▁ 1 , 4 0 0 ▁in ▁May ▁ 1 8 6 2 . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁war , ▁prisoners ▁were ▁well ▁c ared ▁for ▁and ▁even ▁indul ged ▁in ▁baseball , ▁recorded ▁in ▁a ▁drawing ▁by ▁Maj . ▁Otto ▁Bo ett icher ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁art ▁works ▁showing ▁the ▁game ▁being ▁played . ▁▁ ▁By ▁October ▁ 1 8 6 4 ▁the ▁prison ▁held ▁ 5 , 0 0 0 , ▁soon ▁increasing ▁to ▁ 1 0 , 0 0 0 . ▁The ▁town ▁of ▁Sal is bury ▁had ▁only ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁residents , ▁making ▁it ▁the ▁fourth ▁largest ▁town ▁in ▁the ▁state , ▁and ▁there ▁was ▁concern ▁about ▁the