The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-11-15
In and Out of AndersOnville Prison by One
Who Was There In 1865 and Again
October II, 1907.

who Was There In 1865 and Again
October II, 1907.
This inhuman prison OF the south, To-
Gated in Sumpter county, Ca, consisted
of about 20 acres enclosed with a
stockade of pine logs cut perhaps % feet
long and set four or five feet in the
ground. The first enclosure, perhaps IL
or Is acres. built early. in 1864, was built
OF hewn logs. During that summer it
became so crowded that it was necessary
to enlarge it with logs not hewn square.
These logs we're tied at or near the top
on the. outside, with. strips spiked to
them.
The guards occupied elevated plat
forms on the outside of this inner stock
ade where they could look over into this
field for the purpose of catching some
Yank passing over or under the dead
line which consisted of row of stakes
driven down about 20 feet inside of this
inner row OF logs, and strips of either
boards or split poles nailed thereon.
Death was the penalty for passing this
dead line
There was a second row of these logs
or the extreme outside of the inner row.
but not so high. There were two en-
frances, known as the north and south
stockade work. The gates were of huge
structure and strongly barred. These
gates were on the double order, in which
there was one wicket gate to accommo-
date the entrance of one person at a
time.
The inmates of this prison had no pro-
vision made to shelter them except as
they provided it themselves. Some were
allowed to retain their blankets, but as
rule they dug in the ground and covered
their dug-outs with dirt. The writer
was one of mess of five who laid on the
open ground some three weeks with
nothing but small U. S. blanket and
about ~ yards of old carpet for COW
ering. and this during the winter of
1s645. During this time one of US was
allowed to 60 after wood every third or
fourth day. During this time we COL
lected wood in the form of two crotches
or center poles, one ridge pole and sew.
eral pairs OF rafters. We then covered
with pine, straw and dirt. We made
"brick without straw" baked them in
the sun, with which we built a fireplace
and chimney in the open gable, leaving
small opening to crawl out and in.
Our rations consisted of corn meal,
stock peas and very inferior article of
meat. At times our rations were cooked
for US on the outside and by our own
boys.
During the summer of 1864 there were
between $4,000 and $4,000 prisoners at
one time. During August, Septe nber
and October, 1864, there were 1850
deaths. From Feb. 81, 1864, to Sept. 81,
1864, there were 9,479 deaths. From the
first use of the prison, Feb 81, 1864 to
the 18th of April, 1865, (the day the last
of us, $780, left there) the number Of
deaths was 1874, thus showing NOR
tally of nearly 1000 month.
Doubtless the reader has from the
foregoing acquired partial knowledge
of the form, appearance and suffering of
tAnders ,nvile prison during the civil
war.
We will now attempt to describe it as
it appeared to the writer on the 18th day
of October, 1907, after lapse of ~ years
and six months to day.
On Oct. 18th, 1907, party of LOT, con-
sistipg of Gov. j. 0. Davidson and some
of his staff, nearly all ex-soldiers of the
civil war, some of whom had been con-
fined as prisoners of war at Anderson
vile, together with several ladies, left
Madison, Wis, for the purpose of ded-
icating a monument to the memory of
the brave Wisconsin boys who died at
Andersonville
At s p. ~. we left Chicago, arriving at
Nashville, Tenn, at 10 a. M, Oct. 10th.
At IL As stop of 80 minutes was made
at Stone River cemetery. near Murfrees
boro, Tenn. where sleep 3811 known and
1884 unknown dead. We arrived at An
Jacksonville early on the morning of Oct
18th, and after breakfast, at private
houses mostly, we started out for the old
in conveyances IF various forms. The
first thing of interest to the writer was
that of the "Old Spring." This I went
in search of and as 1 advanced all about
me appeared so strange I could scarcely
make myself believe that I had ever
been there. After awhile [ observed an
arch over the woody road announcing
that "the last of the prisoners left here
April 18th, 1865" Soon discovered AKA
white posts at intervals announcing
"Outer Stockade," middle Stockade,"
elmer Stockade," dead Line"
Arriving al Tile FAMOUS spring WHICH
broke out in the fall of 1864, l found it
had changed it's source. Instead of be-
ing between the inner stockade and dead
line as it was in 1864-5, it is now in on
the prison ground several feet and there
is granite and marble fountain house
built over it. / wandered around by
myself much or the time endeavoring to
locate my old dug out, as others were
doing, finding here and there relics of
bygone days. Not far from the site of
our old quarters, as near as l could de.
termine, found an old railroad spike,
such as our mess owned and lost about
individual ownership of this spike which
at one time was the only implement