Andersonville, the Confederate Prison

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There is not much to see at the famous Confederate Prison at Andersonville. They have I am told a great POW exhibit, but the museum was closed for renovation when I was there. What you see is a huge field, sacred ground. If you know a little history of the place it is not hard to visualize what the prison was all about.

In this prison, the quards and prisoners all suffered from shortages of water and food. It was just a terrible situation. The small stream that ran through the camp and was polluted is still there.

My Great Grandparent Abram Rice was a prisoner there. So was his twin brother Isaac. They were from Clear ridge Pennsylvania, served in the same unit and were captured together. I am told he was alive when they were released but was so weak he told his brother ‘go on, I will die soon.’ He did and his stone is there.

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Comments

[Ray Gaskill]

Andersonville Prison
Kent: I just happened to watch a History Channel program about the Andersonville Prison tragedy the other day. It seemed to be caused partly because of General Ulysses Grant's refusal to exchange prisoners with the Confederates. The South, with their limited resources were unable to handle the influx of Union prisoners causing many to die unneccesionarily. Anumber of the prison officers were tried after the war and one was hanged and the others received prison time. Ray