- Joined
- Jul 28, 2015
I am impartial when it comes to the ACW, well actually have Southern sympathies, but all Federal prisons had barracks. Andersonville had a saw mill and an incredible forest surrounding it then and now. The soil is extremely rich and would have provided vegetables grown with prison labor. Wirz was the only individual tried, convicted and hanged, in my opinion deservedly so. Federal soldiers were well clothed and fed prior to being captured and imprisoned in Andersonville, within an extremely short time, over 13,000 were dead.Were there any commanders of Union POW internment camps who where either tried ,if not hanged ,for the mistreatment of Confederate POWs? To the righteous of judgement falls on the side of victorious.
Southern soldiers were not as well fed or clothed when captured, many already malnourished and when introduced to the cold of Illinois, Ohio, NY, DE and even Maryland the inevitable occurred.
I often portray a Southern prisoner at Point Lookout, Fort Delaware and sometimes Ft McHenry, they were housed much better than those at Andersonville, period.
IMHO there was no excuse for what happened at Andersonville, I visited back in '05 and it was one of the most moving moments of all NPS ACW Parks.
By the way @bdtex, great post, sorry I was late in seeing it!
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