FREE ESSAY ON ANDERSONVILLE

ANDERSONVILLE

Andersonville 
Torture, screams, no food: These are the conditions of prisons during the Civil War. The
lack of attention to prisoners led to many gruesome things such as eating live animals.
The two most infamous prisons were Andersonville in the South and Elmira in the North.
Both had terrible conditions that were largely caused by the psychology of the War: If
the other side doesn't have men they can't fight and likewise with weak men. Both prisons
were alike in that men died, but each is infamous in their own way of how the men died.
Since the Confederacy was collapsing, the South had little food and medical supplies. It
was suffering greatly and to stop this an exchange system for prisoners of equal rank
went on for one and a half years. Also, men were paroled and released after signing a
paper stating that would not bear arms until officially exchanged. Later the exchange
system was stopped because the North realized that it was benefiting the Confederacy.
After all, the North could afford to lose men as prisoners but the South couldn't afford
to replace troops. The Union then could stop the South's ability to carry on the War. As
a result of this, the number and size of prisons increased. Crowding, inadequate
provisions, and poor sanitation was then a consequence of the greater number of prisoners
which caused 49,000 men out of 346,000 prisoners during the War to die. A public outcry
over prison conditions made Abraham Lincoln send Professor Francis Lieber of Columbia to
set rules for the treatment of prisoners during war. His set of rules were called the
Lieber Code. Both prisons violated this code and that is what I am going to show through
this report.
Andersonville is probably the most well known of the prison camps. It was a Confederate
camp in Georgia from 1864 on. Its main problem was the massive overcrowding. It was built
for 10,000 but at one time held 33,000 men. It was built of a roughly hewn pine log
stockade. It was only 16 and a half acres. Andersonville was also known as Camp Sumter in
the South. The structure of Andersonville was very unique. It had guards in sentry boxes
called pigeon roosts at 30 yard intervals along the top of the 15 foot high stockade
wall. 19 feet from the wall was the infamous deadline which prisoners were forbidden to
cross upon the threat of death. Another infamous idea of Andersonville were the Raiders,
a gang of prisoners who stole men's supplies by beating and killing them. They were later
hanged for killing six men.
In 1864, Andersonville was the fifth largest city in the Confederacy because of it's
32,000 men as prisoners. When prisoners were put in Andersonville their first concern was
a living space, which they made from whatever they could scrounge. They were each
allotted a space of 4 feet by 6 feet. The Confederacy was struggling to provide food,
clothing, and medical supplies for its own men let alone prisoners of the Union. As a
result, men were often neglected unless they had money in which case they could buy
staples, coffee, fruits, and vegetables from the camp's sutler. However, most men came in
with little or no money so only occasionally got fed. They were given the typical ration
which was a double handful of unbolted cornmeal with the cob still on. The lack of
nutrition and food caused an epidemic of scurvy except in the rare case that the prison
quartermaster issued rice, molasses, and beans along with foul-smelling meat. Most
rations were uncooked, so this created another problem. Prisoners had to scrounge for
fire wood and skillets which is why the prisoners began to steal and join the Raiders.
Another problem of the prison was that their only water supply was also their only means
of sewage disposal. It was a simple stream known as Stockyard Creek which flowed through
the prison yard . It was too small to serve both purposes for so many men that it became
the main cause of illness. Some stronger bodied prisoners dug wells and sold the water
for whatever could be traded. Others simply prayed for help from God. In August, 1864 a
miracle happened. A heavy thunderstorm washed the pen clean of human waste and according
to legend, a spring bubbled up after a strike by lightning. The thankful prisoners had an
answer to their prayers and named the spring Providence Spring. Despite the sudden supply
of clear water, later in 1864 over 100 men died each day in Andersonville because of lack
of food and water.
With not much to do but wonder if they were going to be alive the next day, men kept busy
through unusual means. One private braided a simple necklace of pine straw. Another
wittled a crude wooden spoon to pass the torturous time at Andersonville. The prisoners
also wanted to communicate with their loved ones outside. They tried to send mail but it
was often censored and on top of that to even write the letter they would need paper, a
pen, and money to pay or bribe the guards to send the letter.
One of the worst things in Andersonville was being put through watching their friends
die. They were simply buried by burial details. The corpses were placed in trenches
shoulder to shoulder. Rows of wooden stakes marked with consecutive numbers corresponded
to the entries in the hospital register to identify the dead. 
Andersonville was not a place you would want to be sent to because you would most likely
get out by dying than leave any other way. Men were constantly trying to escape but were
always caught and punished harshly. Much of the suffering was caused by the Swiss
Commander Henry Wirz, the superintendent of Andersonville. His orders led to the death of
many men. He was hung after the War for war crimes. 
Elmira
Elmira was the Union prison in New York which was known as the Northern Andersonville and
"Hell hole." It as not as infamous and well known as Andersonville but just as
treacherous. 
Elmira started out in May, 1861 as a Drilling ground and army barracks for Union troops
because of the call for men to suppress the Southern Rebellion. For three years it was
used this way until 1864, when it then had no use. The Union found their chance to use
the barracks as a prison camp. On May 14, 1864 E.D. Townsend, the assistant adjutant
general, sent a memo to Colonel William Hoffman, the Commission General of prisoners. In
the letter it is stated that Elmira had a number of barracks which could be used as a
prison camp for recent Confederate prisoners. A great mistake which would later cause
much suffering was made by Hoffman. He wrote to the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton,
stating that Elmira could hold 10,000 prisoners transferred from other camps. Lt. Colonel
Frederick Eastman was put in charge of Elmira prison. Also, another mistake by Hoffman, a
letter from Hoffman to Eastman stated that only Barracks number three should be used as a
prison camp. It also stated the specifics for the fence. Furthermore it said that 8,000
or 10,000 men could arrive shortly. The barracks were 100 ft. long and 16 ft. wide
supposedly in excellent condition. There were 35 barracks to hold 4,000 men which were
originally made to hold 3,000 men. The tents and hospital tents could hold 1,000 more men
and the bakery could hold another 5,000 men. 
In June, Elmira was ready and Major H.V. Colt was put in as Governor of the camp. In July
the first 399 prisoners arrived, one escaped on the way to Elmira. By the end of July,
4,724 prisoners arrived and tents were already being used. By August, all the tents had
been used up and more were sent in, though not enough. Many prisoners slept outside
without even a blanket. Every morning there was a roll call and the tents were struck to
keep count. Due to lack of preparedness or miscommunication severe overcrowding was a
problem until March when a 3,009 men prisoner exchange took place. There were still bad
conditions though and winter would be worse.
Prisoners were underfed and open to disease because of this and overcrowding. To prevent
scurvy from the camps meager rations, men had to buy vegetables from local townsmen. This
privilege was taken away when Hoffman ordered bread and water rations for retaliation of
Northern prisoners' treatment in the South. Meat and vegetables were not even in the menu
therefore an epidemic of scurvy came about. Hunger was such a problem that prisoners
surrounded the bone cart begging for scraps that were probably laying in the sun for
several days. Men kept bones in their bunk to gnaw and suck on. Men ate trampled apple
peelings. A more desperate way to find food was to make use of the large rat population
at Foster's Pond. Rats were used as food and money. The worst case of desperation in
finding food at Elmira was the case when prisoners killed a small dog, hid it in their
bunk, and waited until dark to eat the roasted dog. The Union officially said that these
problems resulted from "lack of appetite because of homesickness" and "slightly inferior
quality of food owing to the severe drought of the year". The drought did explain some of
it, but basically the prisoners were just not fed enough, and ate poor food. The hot
temperature and the drought made many prisoners want to buy food, but vendors were not
allowed to sell as order of Hoffman. 
The winter soon came and the Confederates were not used to the cold weather. They had
scanty clothes and further clothing sent by families was not allowed to be given to
prisoners until approved by the government. When the clothes were approved, only the gray
clothes could be used and the blue clothes were burned. The Southerners were able to
purchase clothing whereas the Northerners in the South weren't able to buy clothing and
were being treated harshly. Therefore, only the poorest quality of clothing and blankets
were given out, and only when necessary. Many attempts were made to give clothes to
prisoners but they were all rejected. The barracks were now also in bad shape. Many froze
to death, especially in the tents. Stoves were issued to Elmira and two rations of wood
were given each day. Hoffman began to give in. The proceeds from a cotton sale went to
buy clothing for prisoners, and did bring some relief. This harsh winter caused many
people to die, but more problems were still to come.
In the spring, heavy rains made the Chemung River overflow. The men had to move around
constantly to avoid the rising waters. A train accident also killed many prisoners on the
way to Elmira. Foster's Pond was a great source of disease, and drainage ditches were
denied. When the ditches were finally built, many prisoners had already died from
disease. Hoffman sent the physically unfit to Washington for a prisoner exchange. 1,200
men were sent but 105 men either died, were turned back because they were unfit for the
journey, or were dying. 36% of Elmira's prisoners would die in less than a year because
of the poor conditions which caused smallpox, scurvy, diarrhea, and pneumonia. The many
sicknesses led to the need for a good medical staff. However, there was none. The men's
needs were denied. Medicines were not given, they were sold. Amateur doctors used Elmira
just for experience, and later moved on. Because of amateurism, incorrect treatment
killed some prisoners. One case was too much arsenic, which can be poisonous. The
physician and chief surgeon E.L. Sanger resigned because he knew that he would be
court-marshaled if he didn't. The sick were mostly put in tents, but a few of the worst
cases were put in barracks. This made the others around them sick also. 
Punishment was also a concern at Elmira. The punishment was made by the guard or officer
who witnessed the crime. The most common punishment was the barrel shirt with the crime
written on it. Another punishment was the sweatbox, which was very small and hot.
Prisoners got no food, water, or ventilation when inside it. Bucking and gagging was
another punishment. There was no deadline like Andersonville, and no deaths could be
attributed to discipline. Many deaths could be attributed to Hoffman because of his
feelings of the war's psychology and retaliation for the South's treatment of the
Northern prisoners.
Out of 12,123 prisoners in Elmira, 2,963 died. The death rate was 25%, whereas other
camps' death rates in the North were around 11.7%. Andersonville's deathrate was only 2%
higher at 27%. Both camps were places of very poor conditions and much suffering which
could have been stopped, if not for Hoffmann and Wirz. That is why they were both truly
"Hell on Earth" and Elmira is known as "Hellmira".
Bibliography
Bibliography
Magazines
1)"Andersonville remembers America's POWs" Civil War Times, April 1996, p. 18, 20-21,
73-75
2)"Andersonville: the Myth Endures" Civil War Times, April 1996, p. 10, 78
3)"Northern Hell on Earth" America's Civil War, March 1991, p. 25-29
Encyclopedia
1)"Civil War." World Book Encyclopedia, 1994, Vol. 4, p. 631
Movie
1)Andersonville. TNT, 1996.