Andersonville Largest and Deadliest Confederate POW Camp

 

 



Kurt got a 3 day paid weekend for the 4th of July holiday, whohoo! We went to Andersonville then Stone Mountain. If you've never heard of Andersonville, let me give you a brief history. It was the major Confederate Prison in the south during the Civil War, located in Macon county, it was cramped, had horrendous conditions, and a high mortality rate. The prison was only 26 acres, with a small swamp running down the middle for water, 16 ft high blockade walls and the "Dead Line", which was located 19 ft away from the stockade walls, if a prisoner crosseed the line, he was immediately shot. The prison held 50,ooo Union soldiers, with a total of 15,000 that didn't survive the prisons short run from February 1864 to April 1865 . There was a miracle that happened in Andersonville that saved many of the soldiers lives. The only water that they had was the small swampy stream that ran down the middle of the camp, this was used as their sink, toilet, and drinking water. Up stream, was where the confederate officers lived, who used the stream for the same purposes. So the union soldiers never really had any clean water. One day in August 1864, a great majority of them got together and prayed for rain, what resulted was a massive thunderstorm that produced lightning that struck the ground. When it struck, it opened up a small spring, which provided the union men with fresh water. The only thing was that the spring was just on the other side of the Dead Line and guards offered no leeway when it came to crossing the Dead Line. Prisoners fashioned sticks and rods together with a tin cup on the end in order to reach the spring. The spring was named Providence Spring and was dedicated in 1901. The plaque by the fountain reads: "The prisoner's cry of thirst rang up to heaven. God heard, and with his thunder cleft the earth and poured his sweetest waters gushing here. Erected 1901."  The first time we went there, there was no warning about drinking the water, so we drank it, and it was some of the best tasting, sweetest water we ever drank. The next time we went they had the sign erected, but being the Gypsy Rebels we are, we drank anyways, BIG mistake! It was the worst tasting water in the world. I don't know what happened to it between those 2 yrs but DON'T DRINK THE WATER!!



The fountain.



We all love Andersonville and have been back a few times since our 1st family trip. Across the street there is a cute little town full of antique shops and old style buildings. Andersonville it's self is a little bit out of the way off of 75, but well worth the trip if you enjoy Civil War sites. If you arrive around sunrise, as we did, the fields are covered in a light mist and deer can be seen grazing. It's truly a wonderful and eerie sight, you can almost hear the men and feel their suffering. The National park also offers a POW museum and a National Cemetery which were really nice. They also have a Jr Ranger Program, but we didn't know it at the time:) So I cannot tell you about it.

If you want a more detailed account of Andersonville before you go, may I suggest reading John Ransom's Andersonville Diary/Life Inside the Civil War's Most Infamous Prison.
John Ransom, Brigade Quartermaster of the Ninth Michigan Calvary, was only 20 years old when he became a prisoner of Andersonville:

"One of the best first-hand accounts to come down to us from the Civil War, uncommonly rich in the love of life...a tale of adventure, of suspense, of fierce hate and great love."

How the union soldiers slept in Andersonville

Or Just watch the movie "Andersonville"