The National tribune., 1910-05-26
AsxpERaNv1L1E.
An Interesting Description Of the Site
Ofthe OlasTorture Pen

| S. 90. Gil ~ w M!'ldIS, fdSt NatlOnai
President Of the Woman's Relief Corps
and Chaisf man a the Andersonville
Prison r Ro{sd. is ow making all her
PLANS and drrangsn5ents to make final
accountingWo thd National Convention
of the Wophn's Refef Corps at Atlantic
City in Sesfember.J Congress voted to
accept thesproperty from the woman's
lsnsd feef Gos and M the the, President Pr side has
sary to complete the transaction is the
formal ira ausfer Mrs. Winans has made
a faithful Chairman and has attended
to the duties with all care and attention
II was possible to exercise, and 1t is with
a feeling of intense relief that the or
lganiZation will turn the property into
the perpetual and fostering care of the
United States Government. 1t is now in
lsplendid shape, as the following descrip-
tion shows:
Andersonville Prison is located at An
ldersonvlile Station, on the Central Geor-
gia Railroad, about 60 miles south of
Macon.
The stockade inclosing the same is to
the east of the station, about half
mile, and in 1864 was plainly visible
from the railroad station, but cannot be
seen now on account of the growth of
timber and underbrush.
Andersonville Prison is more widely
known than any of the other Southern
prisons of the civil war, due to the fact
that it was larger and more Union SOL
dlers were confined there than at any
of the other prisons.
The prison was in use for Is months.
During that time there were $4,000
prisoners within its gates. The greatest
number at any one-time was $4,000.
over $4,000 died in the 15 months that
the prison was in use, and the death
record for one day in August was 100.
An eX-priSoner visiting AnderSonville
Prison after 46 years will notice many
changes. The lay of the land within
the limits of the stockade is the same.
The brook passes thru the swamp from
the west to east, and beyond the swamp
the ground rises to the north and south.
The south side, which does not rise as
much as the north, has been under cul-
tVatlon for some years past, and this
year cotton and watermelons are plant
ed there. The swamp lands each side of
the brook now have a dense growth of
underbrush and many tall, stately trees
The north side, which contains more
land than the opposite side, has been
transformed into beautiful park.
Seven of the old wells are still in evil
Idence, each surrounded by shrubs and
underground. The wells were all dug
by the prisoners to secure good drink
ing water after the water in the brool;
became impure and unfit to drink. Some
OF these wells were said to be Is feet
deep, a remarkable depth considerinr
that the implements used were halves
of canteen, which were used in place
of spades. and meal sacks in which the
learth was removed.
Ex-prisoners will remember there wa
not tree left standing within II,
lstockade: even the stumps and root
had been dug out, to provide wood fof
cooking, and as they were of pitch pin
they made2a quick hot fire. Now ther"
are number of very fine shade tree
some as large as 20 inches in diametcr
at the base.
The States of Massachusetts,. Rhodc
Island, Ohio. Michigan and Wisconsin
have erected monuments in the prison
park on the, north side and a stone pa
vilion and drinking fountain was erect
Prisoners Of War Association. There is
also Relief Corps monument to Mrs.
Lizabeth A. Turner. former Chairman of
the Andefsonville Prison Board, who
died there. Just beyond the north line
of the stSckade the Woman's Relief
Corps have erected, caretaker's cot
tage, which has been very comfortably
furnished oby the. Relief Corps of the
several Departments. This is now oc-
cupied by Comrade j. Z. BeckelI, Co.
| d, Sth Ind, and wife, as caretakers. and
is available to comrades for lodging
l dhu
The Old StOckade and Dead Line.
The old stockade and the dead line
I20 feet inside OF it are gone, but the
lines of each are well defined by mark
ers every few feet The original stock
ade was built when the prison was first
established, February, 1864, and in
closed an open field of % acres In
trench five feet deep were placed pine
timbers 25 feet long which left them
standing 20 feet above the ground
Twenty feet inside the stockade was the
dead lire. constructed by driving posts
in the ground every 10 feet and putting
a railing from post to post four feet
above the ground. Prisoners were not
| allowed to go beyond the railing, and
to attempt 1t meant death at the hands
| of the guards, who were stationed on
the stockade. Usually new prisoners
lwho were not familiar with the prison
rules were the offenders. Markers in
ldicate the location of sutler buildings
on Main street, where the few prisoners
who had money could buy food The
| location of the gallows where the six
raiders were hung is marked. The raid
ers were a band Of vicious prisoners.
who assaulted. robbed and murdered
their fellow-prisoners. They were final
ly captured and brought before a jury
| Of prisoners, tried and sentenced to
death on the gallows. The execution
was in full view of the 33, 900 prisoners.
The location of the north and south
gates are well defined. Prisoners usual
! ly entered thru the north gate, where
they received their first greeting from
those already there. That greeting in
variably was Fresh fish," The south
gate was used for the passing of re-
| leased prisoners, those answering the
| sick call. and the carrying out of the
dead A marker shows the location of
what was known as the deadhouse, SIM
| ply an open shed with pine boughs for a
roof and which was about 100 feet out
side the stockade near the south gate.
Each day the dead were removed from
this shed to the cemetery to the north
| of the stockade. The earthworks of the
| eight forts located outside the stockade
are still in evidence, particularly what
was known as Star Fort" which COW
cred five acres of ground and was
mounted by a battery of six guns, and
in which were the quarters Of the
guards and Office Of the commander of
the prison.
As you approach this prison from the
| railroad station YOU first see an iron
gate, over which you read Anderson
vile Prison Park" This gate was erect
ed by the Woman's Relief Corps. This
park Is inclosed by wire fence, and it
not only includes the 81 acres of the
stockade, hsIt the forts and other sur
rounding land. -
Some years ago this land was pur-
chased by the Department Of Georgia,
~ u 1naf haU L.