Chapter11projectferrone

Andersonville Prison







Andersonville was a Confederate prison camp that housed thousands of Union soldiers. It was located near Andersonville, Georgia. It was commanded by Henry Wirz. More than 45,000 soldiers were confined here and around 13,000 died. Many died because of diseases, malnutrition, poor sanitation, and overcrowding. Since there was a huge scarcity for food a group of inmates came together and became the Andersonville Raiders. The Raiders would attack their fellow inmates for food, jewelry, money, and clothing. They killed to get what they wanted and carried clubs with them. Eventually a group called the "Regulators" formed and captured almost all of the Raiders. If they found them guilty they would punish them by making them "Run the Gauntlet", ball and chain, and in some cases hanging them. The first prisoners brought to this camp came in late February 1864. After that each day 400 more soldiers were added each day for months. At one point there were 33,000 prisoners held in an area meant to fit 10,000. At this camp there was a large wall of about 19 feet that was called "the dead line". Any prisoner that crossed or even touched this wall were immediately shot without warning. This horrible prison was a home to many Union Soldiers. Today, located on the same camp grounds is a national cemetery for those who died while being housed in the Andersonville Prison.

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