Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-09
PRISON EXPERIENCES.
NO. Is.
ANDERSONVILLE.

ANDERSONVILLE.
Having given the reader a peep
through the creyices of the stockade,
at the inside, I will now go back and
give a more definite description as to
the location, etc., of the prison.
Andersonville is situated in the
southwestern part of Georgia on the
southwestern railroad leading from
Macon to Albany, sixty-five miles
from the former and fifty miles from
the latter place; ninety miles from
the Florida line on the south and six
ty miles from the Alabama state line
on the west. Before the war it was
simply a station with wood shed
and water tank, and less than dozen
houses in sight, not of enough import
ance to be even considered Confed-
crate cross-road. Next to Alden, on
the Red Sea, it is considered in sum-
mer,by those who have visited both
places, to be the hottest place on the
earth's surface. The inside of the
prison was like that of furnace, the
air fairly quivering with the heat as
it radiated from the bare walls of the
stockade. Some profane tourist
speaks of Alden as resembling "Hen
with the fires put out" Some pris-
oner, perhaps more profane than the
tourist, describes Andersonville as
resembling the same place, without
any qualification. It's location was
selected in the latter part of 1868 by
Captain S. Winder, who afterwards
became adjutant of the post. This
place was selected after the examina-
ton and rejection of many much more
suitable places, among them the cele-
brated Magnolia Springs only fifteen
miles distant, with the intention, as
Winder himself stated to citizen liv
ing in the vicinity, of building pris-
on where SThe--Yankees would
rot faster than they could be sent"
The stockade was used for the con-
finement of enlisted men only, (the
commissioned officers being confined
near Macon.) The first installment
of prisoners, consisted of soldiers from
New Hampshire, Connecticut and
Michigan arriving there Feb. Is, 1864. |
The prison consisted of a strong stock
ade of pine logs twenty feet in length,
hewn square and set on end, one
close to another, with one end bur-
led five feet in the ground, leaving
barricade fifteen feet high above
ground. The inclosure originally took
in seventeen acres of ground, but in
June was enlarged to twent three
and one half acres; some authorities
say twenty seven and others twenty
nine acres. 1t was generally estimat
ed among the prisoners to be twenty
five acres. The cracks between the
stockade- where there were any
were plastered up with mud or NOR
tar, to prevent a healthy circulation
of air from one side of the camp to
the other, and also to prevent our
getting the faintest glimpse of Gods
earth outside. The inclosure was in
the form of parallelogram. the larg-
er diameter running almost due north
and south. The space inclosed the
northern and opposing sides of two
hills, between which,a ,and at about one
half the distance from south to north,
was a low, ,boggy swamp of about three
and one half acres, through the cen
ter of which wended from west to east
a shallow, sluggish stream called
Double Branch Creek.
The main stockade was, at later
date surrounded by two other similar
rows of pine logs, the middle stock
ade being sixteen feet high and the
outer. twelve. These were intended
for offense and defense. If the inner
stockade should at any time be forced
oy the prisoners, the second would
form another line of defense; while
n the case of an attempt to deliver
he prisoners by force operating
from the outside, the outer line would
iorm an admirable protection to the
Confederate troops, and formidable
obstacle to cavalry or infantry. At