Andersonville National Historic Site & Cemetery, GA (2-23-07)

Andersonville was perhaps the most notorious prison camp of the Civil War. Though it was only operational for 14 months over 13,000 prisoners died here due to malnutrition, exposure, and murder. Of all the Union Prisoner of War deaths, Andersonville accounted for nearly half half. This was a very moving place to visit, and very different from other Civil War sites...

Wirtz Monument
The monument to Capt. Henry Wirz, commandant of Andersonville Prison, downtown Andersonville.
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Wirtz Monument Inscription
Inscription reads: "In Memory of Captain Henry Wirz, C.S.A., Born: Zurich, Switzerland 1822, Sentanced to Death and Executed at Washington D.C. Nov. 10 1865" "To rescue his name from the stigma attached to it by embittered predjudice this shaft is erected by the Georgia Division United Daughters of the Confederacy."
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Downtown Andersonville, Georgia
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Office of Captain Wirtz
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Andersonville, Georgia
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Wirtz Monument
Defending Capt. Wirtz...
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Entering Andersonville National Historic Site...
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Andersonville National Historic Site Map
Wisconsin Monument
The northwest corner of the stockade. The monument to the men of Wisconsin reads, "Let Us Have Peace."
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The "Dead Line"
Parallel lines of simple white posts mark the outline of the original prison camp. The outer post marks the actual stockade wall while the inner post marks the so-called "dead line." If a prisoner crossed this line he would be shot without warning.
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Prisoner Well Location
This benchmark sits atop one of 32 impromptu wells dug by the prisoners at Andersonville, to little success...
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Lone Tree
Many of the trees located on the prison grounds mark wells or escape tunnels dug by the prisoners...
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Michigan Monument
The Michigan Monument at Andersonville...
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Ohio Monument
The Ohio Monument...Ohio lost 1055 men at Andersonville...
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North Gate
Prisoners entering Andersonville passed through this gate, the scene that greeted them must have been horrific...
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North Gate
The rebuilt North Gate, through which most prisoners entered the prison. The small railing in front of the stockade is the infamous dead-line."
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Providence Spring
After a torrential rainstorm the night of August 9, 1864 a spring burst from the ground on the west side of the prison camp. The prisoners believed it was an act of the Almighty and dubbed it Providence Spring.
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Providence Spring
Even though the presence of a spring inside the camp was a godsend it sprung up dangerously close to the dead line so prisoners had to take extra care when collecting water...
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Providence Spring - Tablet
Right-hand Tablet at Providence Spring...
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Providence Spring - Tablet
Left-hand Tablet at Providence Spring...
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Providence Spring
The wellhouse was erected in 1901 by the Womens Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic in memory of the 13,900 men who died at Andersonville...the plaque reads: "With charity to all and malice toward none."
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Bad Water...
A rather poignant and ironic little sign if you ask me...just downstream from Providence Spring.
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Sweetwater Creek
The camps single water source was the inappropriately named Sweetwater Creek. In contrast to its name the creek served as bathroom, washroom, and drinking water for the prisoners...imagine 50,000+ men using this tiny creek for all these duties and you'll get a good mental picture of what it was like at Andersonville.
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Andersonville Prison (ca. 2007)
Northwest view of camp
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Andersonville Prison
A panorama of the prison grounds from the area of Sweetwater Creek. The North Gate and Providence Spring are to the left while the road rises towards the Star Fort on the right...
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The Star Fort
Wirtz and his staff monitored the prison from a small fortification at the southwest corner of the camp. Named the "Star Fort," this high vantage point gave him a commanding view of the camps goings-on.
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Andersonville Prison (ca. 2007)
Looking downhill from the location of the south stockade...
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Andersonville Prison - The Sinks (ca. 2007)
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Andersonville Prison
A recreated guard tower typical of Andersonville...
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Prison Camp
The park service has recreated a small portion of the prison to demostrate the horrid conditions the men lived under. There was no shelter provided to prisoners. Tents had to be created from whatever material the men carried in and wood brought back from work (burial) details.
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Prison Camp
Here's the same shot in sepia to give it a more historic feel...
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Prisoner Shelters
Some more of the crude shelters you would have found at the prison...
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Original Earthworks
Some of the original earthworks are still visible around the perimeter of the fort, these are located along the north wall...
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National Prisoner of War Museum
The National Prisoner of War Museum is also located at Andersonville. It pays tribute to POW's from all wars, with many powerful displays depicting American prisoners in WW2 and Vietnam...
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Plaque inside the Prisoner of War Museum...
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Andersonville National Cemetery
After visiting the prison site we decided to make a drive through the National Cemetery at Andersonville....
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Andersonville National Cemetery
Row upon row of graves...
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Andersonville National Cemetery
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Andersonville National Cemetery - "Prisoners of Hope"
"Prisoners of Hope" - Statue at the entrance of the National Cemetery, it bears the verse from Zechariah 9:12, "Turn You to the Stronghold, Ye Prisoners of Hope."
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Andersonville National Cemetery
They came from all over...six graves here...a Naval seaman, men from Illinios, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, as well as one Unnamed Soldier...
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Andersonville National Cemetery
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dwhike

Andersonville National Historic Site & Cemetery, GA (2-23-07)