Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-11-06

Sunday night The distance from Mem
phis to Madison is about 500 miles.
At one o'clock of October 18th, the
second southern visit was undertaken,
lasting nine days, accompanying a par
ty of los Wisconsin officials and citizens
To Andersonvihe, Georgia, where a
beautiful monument was dedicated to
the memory of the 3S7 Union soldiers
who died in that awful stockade while
prisoners of war. The party consisted
of Governor Davidson and his staff. the
commission who had in charge the erec-
tion of the monument, state officers,
old lsoldiers and a number of ladies'.
The trip was made in three Pullman
sleepers and combination baggage
car, the entire distance being covered
by special train, sunder direction of the
st. Paul railroad AT Chicago we were
transferred to the Chicago & Eastern
road, making the run to Nashville,
Tennessee, during the night, traversing
Kentucky, Tennessee and part of north
ern Georgia by daylight, having a late
breakfast at Nashville. The first stop
of special interest was at the battle
ground at Murfreesboro, where the
national cemetery was visited FOR few
minutes. II j. splendid plat of ground
covering several acres, where the dust
of many thousand defenders Of the
country lie in small trenches. Adioin-
ing these grounds we saw the first cot
ton field. and TO majority of our par
" IT was curiosity, but from this on
there was almost a continuous show of
the white podded growth. Chattanooga
was reached in mid-afternoon. The
party lupahed and was greeted by Cen
eral II. Clay Evans. leading citizen,
his nephew, Major Chas. r. Evans, both
former Grant county men; also by Mr.
Joshua Johns, late of Richland Center.
An hours halt and we pushed on to-
ward Atlanta, going over the old gov
ernment railroad so famous in war
times, passing Altoona, Big Shanty.
Resaca, the ground over which Andrews
and his raiders passed at the timo when
they stole the train from the rebels
The "Old General, the engine cap
tured by Andrews and his brave band.
stands in the depot grounds at Chatta-
nooga, the most noted relic of war days.
Everybody wants TO zee the old loco
motive, and he is not eufious who does
not care TO set foot in ine engineers
cab. This old war relic has been on ex-
hibItion at nearly every exposition con-
Quoted in the United Slater since the
sixties. In the eYening moonlight
Altoona Pass and Kenesaw mountain
were easily distinguishable This was
sacred ground 10 many Of the old boys
who composed our party. We had
late supper at Atlanta, continuing the
journey TO Andersonville, arriving ear
ly in the morning. This is small ham
let, the only enterprise being a cotton
gin. The settlement is very much
colored. The only .laces of interest
are the old prison pen site and the ma
tional cemetery. The prison pen was
located about mile from the station
The story of Andersonville prison
forms one OF the most revolving chap
ters in tie history Of the civil war.
During the thirteen months of its ex-
istence II, 49, boys in blue died Of ex-
posure, starv, tl,n and disease in the
stockade or in the hospital near by
This prison pen was built in the spring
Of 1864, and the first squad Of prisoners
were passed through its gates IN March
Of that year. The stockade was about
1000 feet long and 300 feet wide, built
Of pine logs hewn square and set firmly
in the ground close together, forming a
wan hbou. Is Ieet niKh. Inc area
within the ;7elosure was about Is acres. |
A little creek aa5it four feet wide and
a foot deep run through the center from
west to east. This track of land was
covered with a heavy growth of south
ern Dine from which the log were cut
to build the stockade and not a single
tree was left to shield the prisoners
from the scorching heat of southern
sun. During the spring the prisoners
were brought IN by the hundreds and
thousands and at the end Of May there !
were IS, 45i confined in the stockade. |
Think Of it, More than thousand men
living upon the space Of less than an !
acre of ground with no shelter except |
tents made Of their own blankets, their /
principal food daily ration Of raw |
corn meal corn ground with the cob; |
many having no cooking utensils ex-
cept a tin cup, or half canteen; their ;
only water supply a little stream that
ran through q filthy mass Of mre.
Under such conditions is it any wonder
that thouGand siekcned and died? But
that is rot all. The stream Of pri-
sOners continued 10 flow in, and al
though /, 7i2 died during the month of
July the number left in the prison at
the end of the month was 81 ,678.
Ia Auo.r,uf 1854 fba tt-; -pu .oil