If you go to http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10434.html
or http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/207.html, you can ZOOM IN on any part of the picture of Camp Douglas POWs and the faces remain clear. I have looked at this picture for 4 years and just discovered this trick!! See if you can find your ancestor!! How I wish that I had a picture of my g-gf to see if he is in the picture.
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To: E.M. Ritter (#2820) Camp Douglas, IL 1864-1865

Mr Ritter, Our g-grandfathers must have been in Camp Douglas at the same time. My g-gf was July 1864 to June 1865. He was captured in Atlanta for his second POW time. You may recall that I recently wrote that he was at Camp Morton the first time after being captured Feb 1863 at Ft. Donnelson, TN . I have searched and searched for a Camp Douglas Rooster, but have not found one. I have even been to Chicago Historical Center. There was no roll on file, so I was told. Chicago is not very proud of Camp Douglas; therefore it is difficult to find information.

Here is a letter that I wrote some time ago to someone:
I visited Chicago’s Camp Douglas area about 1999. The area is only identified by markee set up by a black man who owned a funeral home. He has artifacts/ displays from both sides Union and Confederate. He helped many people find their ancestors who were POWs at Camp Douglas. The man died several months before I arrived and his son now manages the funeral home. Several years earlier, a friend of mine drove out to find the location of Camp Douglas and send me pictures of the site and the display. Stephen A. Douglas' home is near by and he donated the land for the Camp. We found his home, but not the specific location of Camp Douglas. After the war Camp Douglas that it was torn down and everything was auctioned. I visited the Chicago Historical Society and still could not find out much information. They did have a display in the museum and one page with a list of prisoners. I could not find anyone who knew if other pages even existed or not. The POWs collected items, metals, etc and did cast a bell for their church. I think I recall that the bell is in the historical museum. During the History Channels TV presentation 80 Acres of Hell, pay particular attention to the punishment/torture of "riding the mule."

If you would like to read more on Camp Douglas, just type the name in on a search engine.
And there are two books: 1) MA Ryan ( author of book EXPERIENCE OF A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER IN CAMP AND PRISON IN THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865) was in Camp Douglas earlier in the war and 2) another book To Die in Chicago: Confederate Prisoners at Camp Douglas 1862-65 (Hardcover) by George Levy.

Thanks,
Ann C Peeples