Andersonville, Georgia

I took a journey to see a POW camp in America.

I wanted to be an Army soldier. I wanted to be a pilot…an Apache pilot to be specific.

But life happened and things changed. During high school, I met a WWII POW. He was a marvelous older man. His wife genuine and made me feel welcome when I went to visit with them and learn about his life and his struggles.

And then he told me the story of Andersonville, GA.

Officially known as Fort Sumter, Andersonville became the holding grounds for Union soldiers during the Civil War. Construction of the camp began in 1864. While it was only in use for fourteen months, 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned while nearly 13,000 of them died from disease, malnourishment, exposure to the elements, and more.

Andersonville prison was roughly 16 ½ acres of land. On that land was a fifteen-foot-high stockade wall. Due to overcrowding, the acreage was increased to 26 ½ acres. But it still wasn’t enough. The stockade wall was built into the shape of a parallelogram…1,620 ft long and 779 ft wide. About 19 ft inside of the stockade wall was the deadline. The deadline was put into place to keep prisoners from crossing. Anyone who stepped over the deadline was shot and killed.

Movement of General Sherman’s Union forces occupying Atlanta, caused the Confederate army to move POWs to camps in South Carolina and towards the coasts of Georgia. Fort Sumter, then became a small operations base. By May of 1865, the camp was decommissioned and then shifted and turned into the Civil War Memorial and cemetery for soldiers. At this time, there are only 460 unmarked graves or ‘unknown’ soldiers buried at Andersonville.

The interesting tale that came forth from Andersonville is about the fountain that miraculously burst from the ground. This was the part of the story that had urged me to see the miracle firsthand.

It was a long drive from Augusta GA, to Andersonville GA. A good three and a half hour drive for me and my grandma. It was nice to spend time with her and talk on the way there.

We walked through the memorial inside, and then took the steps outside to see the vast green field that was like a mask of the darkness that had once been there.

August 16, 1864, the story has it that during a storm, lightning struck the ground bringing forth fresh clean water compared to the filth and waste that the soldiers were suffering with. In 1901, Providence Spring was erected by former prisoners and still stands today providing fresh water.

The absolute stillness of the day is what took my breathe away. There was so much pain and history lingering on the land. I felt as if I could close my eyes and step back into time and feel the pain and misery that must have been felt there. The hope for peace and the drive to stay alive. It was a beautiful day when we were there. But as my grandma and I returned to my car, and drove through the other side of Andersonville, it began to rain. A light mist at first and then a downpour as we drove through the small roadway through the graves of so many lives lost.

Nothing prepared me for the emotional state that I felt that day. Nothing prepared me for the honor I felt for the men who gave up their lives, so that my future would be a better one. I have so much respect for those who have served, past, present, and future.

May God bless and keep you all; keep you safe and warm; and bring you safely back home to your loved ones.