A good previous posting. The prisoner exchange system broke down during the American Civil War after the South refused to recognize the prisoner-of-war status of captured black soldiers in Union service. At least that was the reason given. However, the North recognized that the breakdown in the system hurt the South more than the North. With it's relatively limited manpower, the Confederates were hurt more by having it's men locked up for the duration of the struggle. It was a cruel, but necessary decision to abandon the exchange system because it condemned thousands on both sides to confinement in horrible conditions.
