Daily AncestorPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) was a soldier captured and held by the enemy; service records note the capture, the prison and any parole, exchange or death.
From July 1862, captured men were usually paroled or exchanged under the Dix-Hill Cartel. The system began to break down in 1863, when the Confederacy refused to treat captured Black soldiers as ordinary prisoners.
A Union compiled service record may hold a memorandum from prisoner of war records with dates of capture, confinement and release. For World War II, NARA has an online database of U.S. servicemen and civilians held by Germany or Japan.
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Daily Ancestor. "Prisoner of war." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/prisoner-of-war. Last checked 2026-10-03.