The Washington herald., 1914-08-08

| Fifty years ago today the population
OF Andersonville prison in Georgia was
at high tide. the official reports Of its
\ keepers for the week ending August
! showing that 52.9ll Federals were con-
| fined within its stOckade, in an area OF
twenty-siX acres Of bare, shadeless, reek-
| ing ground.
The suferings OF the prisoners at
Andersonville are described in every
| Northern history Of the war and in hun
! dreds Of personal "reminiscences Of SOL
! diers who were confined there. In the
| era OF good feeling between North and
! South that nearly half a century OF
peace has brought about, this is still a
subject for reservation in fraternal gath
! erings OF the Blue and Gay.
| II was often asserted and usually be-
! Iieved in the North in Is54. and for some
| years following the war. that the suffer
! ings Of prisOsers at Andersonyille were
/ due to studied cruelty and neglect The
| keeper. or inside commander OF the d.
vision, Capt. Henry WirZ, was hanged
in 1865 for his supposed crimes at An
dersonvilIe. Gen. John II Winder. COM
mander Of the prison, by laying down
! lifes burden in that year, may have
escaped the same fate.
The present generation can see in
clearer perspective than the soldiers of
, 1864 the causes Of suffering at Anderson
! willie. There is much evidence on the
| subject and none OF il shows that the
men responsible for the management OF
the prison at any time had the means
! OF making Andersonville appreCiably bet
ter than II was
The prison was created in February,
1854, to take the overflow OF the Rich
| mond prisons. Owing 10 a cessation OF
the exchange of prisoners in April. by
| order OF Gen. Grant. the COnfederates
We're unable to secure proper quarters
or proper food for the 1000 prisoners on
their hands Thousands were dumped
into the inclosure At AndersOnville.
Amidst general decentralization and want
| in the South, continued efforts were made
10 keep the prisoners from starving. Be
yond that little was done, nor does II
appear. under existing conditions, that
much more could have been done. The
Confederacy was dying. Its armies lack
ed clothing. food, and even tents. There
was little hope. then. for the army OF
prisoners swCItering and dying at An
dersonville.
Motley Quarters of Misery.
The war records show that scarcely
any requisition made by the officials
at AndersOnville for supplies was filled.
Before the prison was completed-the
work dropped for want of tools and
! labor-ehe prisoners began to arrive. In
three months its population swelled to
1890. Then il was too late to attempt
its completion.
The original inClosure contained six
teen and one-half acres. In June, 1854.
this was enlarged to embrace an area
OF twenty-six and one-half acres. OF
this three and One-fourth acres were too
marshy to be used. The stOckade which
formed the prison was fifteen feet high
and double. Within. all trees had been
cut down. stream. which ran across
the lot, was at first thought to be suffi-
cient for water supply. 1t soon became
polluted, and the men dug wells.
The prisoners who arrived first built
themselves rude shelters of waste lum-
Der left from the stockade. Later ar
rivals dug holes in the ground, or erect
ed shelters of old cloth or blankets.
Later a considerable number of tents
were secured.
Tho Enclosure presented the appear
ance OF a motley village OF shacks, rags,
shelters and burrows, in which each
man occupied, in theory. a space OF but
forty square feet CThe space usually
allotted an infantry soldier is IA square
feet per man. DartmoOr Prison. Eng