A quick google search of concentration camps will direct you to atrocities of Nazi Germany; however, America has its own dirty history concerning the use of concentration camps. The most notorious of these camps was located in Natchez, Mississippi.
The Encampment

Following the conclusion of the Civil War, Natchez Mississippi experienced an enormous influx of former slaves as new inhabitants. In response, the locals constructed an “encampment.” All the former slaves were gathered and forced to enter, the area walled off and they were refused the option to leave. This encampment after the atrocities were revealed would become known as the “Devils Punchbowl”.
American Concentration Camp

Re-enslavement
The migration of former slaves was a deeply sensitive issue with former Union soldiers, bitterly dissatisfied with the result of the Civil War, decided to exact their revenge on the newly freed Black inhabitants of Natchez. As the slaves attempted to make their way to freedom, the population of Natchez swelled from 10,000 to 120,000 essentially overnight. Dejected with the freedom of the slaves, the Union army began recapturing the Male slaves and forcing them into hard labor camps. The women and children were locked behind the concrete walls of the encampment only to later succumb to malnutrition and disease. Inside this American concentration camp, 20,000 freed slaves were killed in one year.
The removal of the bodies was not allowed by the Union Army; they simply gave them shovels and instructed them to “bury their dead where they fell”. Fresh food and water was nonexistent, disease and starvation would exact its toll. The camp was located at the bottom of a vast crater with trees located on the bluffs above it, helping to contribute to its devilish name.
Peach Groves
The area today is known for its wild peach groves, of course, the locals refuse the citrus nectar from these groves because they are aware of the source of its fertilization. Skeletal remains are sometimes revealed due to the occasional flooding by the Mississippi River. We must acknowledge what happened here and honor the souls of our slain ancestors. We must never forget or allow America to forget its concentration camps at the Devils Punchbowl.
Ironically, there are very few scholarly articles on this subject. The majority of the accounts are derived from oral sources; however, this is not uncommon as it pertains to atrocities committed against slaves. Detractors would argue, “If the incident was as drastic as the articles suggest, surely there would be more references to it. Either in schools or textbooks, Wikipedia or something”. Professional historians employ this argument all too often. As is the African way, our histories are often passed along orally, told many thousands of times over to ensure the accuracy of minute details. If not for this method, many of our stories would be lost to history (his-story). Thereof course was more of an interest by professional historians to conceal and or diminish certain historical aspects of American Chattel slavery and its aftermath to protect and somehow whitewash its historical context.
We must tell our own stories! The Lion has learned to write!
Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I don’t have money to support your work. However, I enjoyed the history lesson. I can pass it along to my children
Thank you for your support. This is not about money, this is about knowledge and passing it along to our youth just as you have said is your intention. That’s the most important part of this whole thing. 🙂
Long live Africa!
Before I start thank you for the thought provoking and intriguing information. I have just one question. If every old civilization was black where did whites people come from? Also, If this article is 100% true and the the Africans do in fact pass pass down their history through word of mouth rather than history books stories why don’t they embrace the American black people. Wouldn’t they know we are part of them? That we have suffered and been separated from our true heritage and culture and deserve their comradeship. Let me be clear I am not trying to argue or debate I simply would like a deeper understanding. I would love any other material you have on the information shared in the post as well as the questions I asked
These stories in this column are unheard of in my 62 years. I really appreciate the research and depth presented. I would however like to address the previous comment concerning Africans not embracing African Americans. This seems to be an opinion and not a fact. Making these general and blanketed negative remarks does nothing but create amongst us what other races hope for us. As a native African in America, I’ve experienced divisiveness from my brothers and other races. That doesn’t lead me to conclude that all of my brothers are against me. What I do understand from the experience is that more needs to be done in our communities concerning awareness and the need for togetherness.
If a bird eye view is taken at other races, the major observation to a conscious mind would be, their strong support for each other as individuals and as a group. That’s a major principal lacking amongst us. Let’s love one another and not demean our brothers. What Africans have experienced from the description of our food, our smell, our accents, our looks, etc., we can never be compared. ONE LOVE .
I always was concerned in this subject and stock still am, thankyou for putting up.