Salisbury Prison was a military prison of the Confederate States of America in Rowan County, North Carolina. Today the site is Salisbury National Cemetery.
In May 1861, North Carolina seceded from the Union and the Confederacy sought a site in Rowan County for a military prison. An old cotton mill near the railroad line was selected as the location. In the early part of the war, prisoners were well cared for and even indulged in baseball as is recorded by Otto Boetticher. His drawing at Salisbury Confederate Prison is the first drawing ever of a baseball game in America. Later when the prison became overcrowded and the death rate rose from 2% to 28%, mass graves were used to accommodate the dead. The area of the prison is now a National Cemetery and continues to be a place of historical interest.[1]