Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Andersonville For Western Wednesday...

Often we forget just what a vast amount of human lives were lost during the period of the Civil War.

Many of the deaths suffered by both sides were not from battle, but from the horrid conditions that haunted the prison camps of both Union and Confederate control. There are no appropriate words to describe what despicable conditions existed in these places!

Feb 27, 1864:
Federal prisoners begin arriving at Andersonville

On this day in 1864, the first Union inmates begin arriving at Andersonville prison, which was still under construction in southern Georgia. Andersonville became synonymous with death as nearly a quarter of its inmates died in captivity. Henry Wirz, who ran Andersonville, was executed after the war for the brutality and mistreatment committed under his command.

The prison, officially called Camp Sumter, became necessary after the prisoner exchange system between North and South collapsed in 1863 over disagreements about the handling of black soldiers. The stockade at Andersonville was hastily constructed using slave labor, and was located in the Georgia woods near a railroad but safely away from the front lines. Enclosing 16 acres of land, the prison was supposed to include wooden barracks but the inflated price of lumber delayed construction, and the Yankee soldiers imprisoned there lived under open skies, protected only by makeshift shanties called "shebangs," constructed from scraps of wood and blankets. A stream initially provided fresh water, but within a few months human waste had contaminated the creek.

Andersonville was built to hold 10,000 men, but within six months more than three times that number were incarcerated there. The creek banks eroded to create a swamp, which occupied a significant portion of the compound. Rations were inadequate, and at times half of the population was reported ill. Some guards brutalized the inmates and there was violence between factions of prisoners.

Andersonville was the worst among many terrible Civil War prisons, both Union and Confederate. Wirz paid the price for the inhumanity of Andersonville; he was executed in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The loss of human lives from both sides affected the United States for many years beyond the actual conflict. We can only hope that our country never again has to go through anything like this again! Time to learn from history, don't you think?

Coffee out on the patio today. We'll take a chance on the weather and the wind. Maybe we won't get blown away!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Andersonville was not the worst. Elmyra New York was the worst and had a higher deathrate.
Yankees at Andersonville ate as well as the guards ate. At Elmyra the southerners were starved to death on purpose. There was no food shortage in the north.
You are a victim of northern schooling.
From
Bill Stegkemper in Florida

Phyllis (N/W Jersey) said...

We have never learned from history.
Have been reading a lot about the South lately and much of what we learned in school up here in the North was a bunch of half-truths. Lord knows what they are teaching nowadays. If we can't get the past right, what is in our future?
The patio sounds lovely - its 32 here, windy and sleeting. I'll bring a chocolate cake for all!

Sixbears said...

It was a horrible war. (not that any of them are wonderful) The death toll was high and it was brother against brother. Like you, I hope we never see another.

linda m said...

i remember reading about the deplorable conditions at Andersonville. How times have changed for prisoners. Hopefully our Country never has to go through anything like that ever again. Coffee outside sure sounds good to me as I am snowed in.

JO said...

What horrible conditions we put each other through. All wars are horrible and some times worse than the cause.

Coffee on the patio sound nice. While the weather is getting better the mornings are still cold.

HermitJim said...

Hey Bill...
Having been raised in the great state of Texas all my life, the one thing you can count on is that I am NOT a victim of northern schooling! What I do admit is to reporting the facts given by folks like History.com where this article came from!

If you notice, in the post I mentioned that both sides had less than stellar conditions!

None the less, I do appreciate your visit today!


Hey Phyllis...
Half truths are being taught as fact now days as well! Being able to learn from history is an art that we have never mastered and probably never will! That's a shame!

Bring on that chocolate cake! I can use it today!

Thanks for dropping in this morning!


Hey Sixbears...
So many lives were lost during the conflict that it staggers the mind!

We certainly don't need that to ever happen again!

Thanks, my friend, for coming over this morning!


Hey Linda...
I'll try and save you some sunshine! I sure don't want any of your snow!

Looking pretty good outside right now, so we should be good to go!

Thanks for dropping in today!

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
It never ceases to amaze me how cruel men can be to one another! The human mind can sure allow some brutal acts and is constantly coming up with new ones!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming over this morning!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I think Texas should leave the union and become its own country. I don't believe I could live up north again.

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
With the weather up north being what it is this year, I can certainly understand you not wanting to go back there!

One thing about our weather here in Texas, change is just around the corner...always!

Thanks, buddy, for coming over today!

Hermit Ladee said...

My father (who is long gone now) used to throw a fit whenever he saw or heard the words "civil war". He said there was no such thing as a "civil" war. He would always refer to it as the war between the states.

HermitJim said...

Hey Hermit Ladee...
He was totally correct about that!

His was a more accurate description, without a doubt.

Thanks for coming over today!

Syrbal/Labrys said...

Civil Wars are the worst, I think...each side seeing the other as the most traitorous of men. There should be another word for such wars, for even more than most wars, they are anything but "civil"!

I read MacKinlay Kantor's "Andersonville" when I was in high school; the oral book report almost reduced me to tears.

HermitJim said...

Hey Syrbal...
It's almost hard to imagine that we in the U.S. ever went through that, but all we need for a reminder is to visit some of the massive graveyards around the country.

I see nothing good coming from most wars, especially those that linger on and on without end!

Thanks for dropping over today!