Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-07-15
miscellaneous.
AndersOnyIlle Revisited.


the enactment of the great tragedy at An
Jacksonville that will forever associate this
little town with horrors indescribable.
The driving rains of two winters have
beaten upon the sandy slopes of the old
enclosure where there was cooped up
within its walls more of human misery
than was ever before found upon an equal
area of earth's surface. | have traced
out the three stockade walls by the contin-
uous ridges of decaying palisades that
marked the lines they occupied. On the
west side many of the palisades have
been cut down and split into rails. while
most of the others have rotted off and lie
in decaying masses on the ground Here
and there a fire-blackened sentinel still
stands in the place as it was planted in
1864. On the east side the main line of
palisades remains in fair state of pres
ervation, showing the height and strength
of this formidable wooden wall. The old
ditch that surrounded the stockade is still
plainly visible on the south, west and east
sides, although in places it is nearly filled
bv washing and caving in. On the north
and south sides the timbers of the stock
ade have been removed in clearing up the
ground for cotton planting. Two negroes
with mule each were marking out the
ground for the rows of cotton on the south
side of the creek. On the north side many
of the old wells remain in a good state of
preservation. | counted over twenty of
them ranging in depth from 10 to 30 feet.
Young pines, oaks and blackberry bushes
have grown up thckly all over this side.
The mounds and depressions where caves
were dug by the perishing prisoners are
plain to be seen all over this sandy side
hill. The massive gates at the west en-
trance have fallen down, and the owner of
the land is working the timbers of which
they were constructed into canes to be sold
as relics of the old stockade.
Outside of these gates on the road to-
wards Andersonville are the ruins of
Wirtz's old bakery, where the unbolted
corn meal and fat bacon were cooked for
the prisoners. Leading from the store
house at the railroad station to the stock
ade is the old corduroy road along which
the teams transported the meal and bacon
to the bakery. The ground was so swampy
that logs had to be cut and laid side by
side for quarter of a mile to make a road
that would bear up a team and wagon.
In looking for relics | found a scantling,
two by four. sticking in an old well, that
was once part of the "dead line" My
guide was DR.. Harrison, who was a sur
geon in the confederate service stationed
here during the most deadly months, to
aid in treating the Federal prisoners in
that hospital shed where 80 many thous-
auds persisted. He pointed out the places
of interest, and gave me many items relat-
ing to the prison keeper, Writ.
On the west side of the stockade near
the north gate is the 'providential spring"
that broke out one August morning when
the water in the creek had become SO
filthy as to be no longer endurable. The
story as told is that one day there came a
terrific storm of thunder, lightning, wind
and rain, which suddenly raised the water
in the creek so high as to sweep down the
walls of the stockade on the west side,
where the creek enters the enclosure
| That when the flood subsidized it was dis.
covered that spring OF clear. pure water
| Cushcd ont of the hillside near the dead
line" which flowed from that time for
ward in such abundance as to supply the
entire army of more than 10000 inmates
with pure water. Many of the furnishing
soldiers looked upon this rs a direct inter.
position of the Almighty to save them from
the horrors of the polluted creek. That
no spring was visible up to this time-alI
the inmates of the stockade agreed in de.
claring.
That such a spring did burst from the
sand of the hillside is as clearly estab
lished by thousands of grateful witnesses
|. too. saw its clear crystal waters boil NJ
| from the white sand in stream large
enough to supply the city of Des Moines
with drinking water: but not being dis
posed to accept the especial providence
theory without thorough investigation,
sought out the oldest resident of the place
NJ. p. Suber. the station agent. who ha.
lived here sc years and asked him to tel
me what he knew of the origin of thi.
spring. He informed me that he haC
known the spring for more than 80 wears
That when this region was an unbroker
forest. this iavorite resort tor deer. Tha
when the stockade was erected in Februa
ry, 1864, the workmen in excavating the
trench filled up the spring so that the water
oozed through the sand to the creek below
without rising to the surface The flooC
that swept the stockade walls during thai
terrible August storm washed the eartt
from over the spring, and it again burs
out clear and strong as of old The fam
ishing prisoners, knowing nothing of il.
existence heretofore, naturally regarded
it as an especial gift for their benefit
Cor. I0iCa State Register.