Andersonville Prison and Felix de La Baume

[samgrant]

Welcome Olerebel, please report to the Officer's Tent.

[samgrant]

I've read (somewhere) that earlier in the war, some soldiers actually tried to be captured. Because of the generous parole regulations, they would take advantage to go back home for a while (and some never went back!).

[Admiral_Porter]

Incidentally, it should be noted that the CSA in actuality treated black troops as POW's...on paper their threatened treatment was not so good...but I have not seen evidence that would indicate widespread returns to slavery, etc.

How many black POWs were at Andersonville?

[tarheel]

Being an extreme novice to all things civil war, I have a question that might have an obvious answer that I just haven't ran into yet. It is my understanding though that after leaving Atlanta and plowing his way to Savannah Shermans men met up with escaped prisoners from Andersonville. If so and after learning from them the conditions of the place, why did he not if not turn his entire march, at least send enough troops to liberate Andersonville.

[samgrant]

I may be mistaken, but I think that one of the secondary objectives of the Campaign against Atlanta was to go south of Atlanta to freee prisoners there, but some how this effort was repulsed.

It is odd to think that this effort was abandondoned after Atlanta was taken.

We need a good historian to clear this up for us!

[Admiral_Porter]

I may be mistaken, but I think that one of the secondary objectives of the Campaign against Atlanta was to go south of Atlanta to freee prisoners there, but some how this effort was repulsed.

Stoneman got whipped and the rebs moved the POWs to other prisons when Sherman began his march.

[MobileBoy]

Porter,
Are you sure about that?I recall reading where Sherman declined to go to Andersonville because it would've delayed completing his other objectives and burdened him with thousands of extra men.Andersonville remained a prison until well after Atlanta so I think you must have gotten your dates confused.

[cash]

Originally Posted by samgrant

I expect conditions in the camps for Confederate POWs in the North were not much(any) better/worse (tho colder) than those in the South.

I don't think there is anything (is there?) for either side to be proud of as far as treatment of POWs during that war, or any other war before then, or up to the present.

This is true. While Andersonville was the worst and Elmira was a close second, I don't believe it was deliberate. I agree with Bruce Catton that the horrible conditions in the POW camps on both sides was due to tragic human error.

Regards,
Cash

[cash]

Originally Posted by Admiral_Porter

How many black POWs were at Andersonville?

I don't have the number with me right now, but there were some. The problem was that the rebs would not exchange black soldiers and in several cases either executed them on the spot or sent them into slavery. Some white officers of USCT regiments were executed as well.

Regards,
Cash

[cash]

Originally Posted by tarheel

Being an extreme novice to all things civil war, I have a question that might have an obvious answer that I just haven't ran into yet. It is my understanding though that after leaving Atlanta and plowing his way to Savannah Shermans men met up with escaped prisoners from Andersonville. If so and after learning from them the conditions of the place, why did he not if not turn his entire march, at least send enough troops to liberate Andersonville.

Sherman did send a force to attempt to liberate prisoners in Andersonville. They became new residents of Andersonville. While the Principles of War didn't exist as such in the 1860s, this would have violated the principle of Economy of Force. You don't weaken yourself by taking on extraneous missions that have nothing to do with your objective. The best way to release all the Union POWs was to win the war as soon as possible. That wouldn't happen with another raid on Andersonville, which by that time was over 100 miles behind him.

Regards,
Cash