Andersonville Prisoners Harper's Civil War 1864 Georgia VA complete newspaper (2024)

FAQs

What was the main cause of the conditions at the prisoner of war camp at Andersonville? ›

Andersonville was more than eight times over-capacity at its peak. The shortage of food in the Confederate States, and the refusal of Union authorities to reinstate the prisoner exchange, are also cited as contributing factors.

During the 14 months it existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here. Of these, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure to the elements. The prison pen was surrounded by a stockade of hewed pine logs that varied in height from 15 to 17 feet.

Andersonville, or Camp Sumter as it was officially known, was the largest of several military prisons established during the Civil War. It was built in 1864 after Confederate leaders decided to move the many Union prisoners in Richmond, Virginia to a location away from the war.

The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea and dysentery.

The numbers say Camp Douglas was not as bad as Andersonville. With more than 40,000 prisoners passing through during four years time, stats say 970 confederate prisoners and 240 union guards died. Mostly from disease. By comparison Andwrsinville had 45,000 union prisoners with a death count of 13,000+.

According to these records, 32 Union soldiers are confirmed to have escaped from Andersonville between February of 1864 and May of 1865. This means that 0.07%, or only one out of every 1,400 prisoners held at Andersonville successfully escaped.

Andersonville had the highest mortality rate of any Civil War prison. Nearly 13,000 of the 45,000 men who entered the stockade died there, chiefly of malnutrition. Guards were also issued poor rations but had the option of foraging for food elsewhere.

In all, approximately 13,000 Union prisoners perished at Andersonville, and following the war its commander, Captain Henry Wirz (1823-65), was tried, convicted and executed for war crimes.

On November 10, 1865, Henry Wirz, a Swiss immigrant and the commander of Andersonville prison in Georgia, is hanged for the murder of soldiers incarcerated there during the Civil War. Wirz was born in Switzerland in 1823 and moved to the United States in 1849.

Henry Wirz, commander of the infamous Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia, was hanged on November 10, 1865, in Washington, D.C., the only Confederate officer executed as a war criminal.

Did anyone survive Andersonville? ›

Of the 45,000 prisoners held at Andersonville during its 14 months of operation, nearly 13,000 died. Of the 17 members of Company K who were sent to Andersonville, only three survived. Conditions at the camp were so bad that the camp commander, Capt. Henry Wirz was executed for war crimes after the war ended.

The crowded quarters, and the Confederacy's inability to adequately supply the prison, led to dire conditions. Left to fend for themselves, prisoners utilized whatever resources were available. They made ramshackle shelters, stole supplies, and attempted to bring in outside money, food, and resources.

Nearly a third of them would die within the walls due to the poor sanitation, lack of food, widespread disease, and brutal conditions. “Prison at Andersonville, Ga.” United States Sanitary Commission, 1864. Geography & Map Division.