Horrors Of Andersonville Rebel Prison

Excerpt from The Horrors of Andersonville Rebel Prison There are many reasons why the atrocities of Anderson ville Prison should never be forgotten. And yet I would not have revived them had Mr. Davis kept silent, and had he not defiantly challenged the verity of the proofs upon which popular opinion was founded at the close of the war. Since then nearly thirty millions have been added to our population. Many of these persons have passed into manhood and womanhood since the stirring events of 1861, while many others have come into our country from abroad; and most of this large body of citizens must form their opinion of the rebellion from historical study of that period. The tragedy of Andersonville, as one phase of the rebellion, must not be distorted, nor must it be overlooked in any study of the spirit that accompanied the rebellion. Happily for the truth of history this one of the many rebel prisons was laid bare by judicial investigation, and that inquest was so full and the character of the proofs so indisputable that the faithful historian need never hesitate in portraying the suffering of Union soldiers. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Confederate prison known as Andersonville existed for only the last fourteen months of the Civil War―but its well-documented legacy of horror has lived on in the diaries of its prisoners and the transcripts of the trial of its commandant. The diaries describe appalling conditions in which vermin-infested men were crowded into an open stockade with a single befouled stream as their water source. Food was scarce and medical supplies virtually nonexistent. The bodies of those who did not survive the night had to be cleared away each morning. Designed to house 10,000 Yankee prisoners, Andersonville held 32,000 during August 1864. Nearly a third of the 45,000 prisoners who passed through the camp perished. Exposure, starvation, and disease were the main causes, but excessively harsh penal practices and even violence among themselves contributed to the unprecedented death rate. At the end of the war, outraged Northerners demanded retribution for such travesties, and they received it in the form of the trial and subsequent hanging of Captain Henry Wirz, the prison’s commandant. The trial was the subject of legal controversy for decades afterward, as many people felt justice was ignored in order to appease the Northerners’ moral outrage over the horrors of Andersonville. The story of Andersonville is a complex one involving politics, intrigue, mismanagement, unfortunate timing, and, of course, people - both good and bad. Relying heavily on first-person reports and legal documents, author Catherine Gourley gives us a fascinating look into one of the most painful incidents of U.S. history.

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To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Diversion Books is publishing seminal works of the era: stories told by the men and women who led, who fought, and who lived in an America that had come apart at the seams. For men who endured the horrors of the Civil War, Andersonville Prison represented an even more terrifying level of hell. The prisoners starved while disease ran rampant. John McElroy was captured in battle and transferred to Andersonville. This is his eye-opening, bestselling account of his imprisonment in a place where one of every four men died.

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Illustrated About Andersonville A Story of Rebel Military Prisons by John McElroy For men who endured the horrors of the Civil War, Andersonville Prison represented an even more terrifying level of hell. The prisoners starved while disease ran rampant. John McElroy was captured in battle and transferred to Andersonville. This is his eye-opening, bestselling account of his imprisonment in a place where one of every four men died.