Andersonville Prison

What It Covers

Andersonville Prison held 45,000 Union soldiers during the Civil War's final fourteen months, with 13,000 dying from starvation, disease, and neglect. The camp represents one of history's first dedicated prisoner-of-war facilities and its worst atrocities.

Key Questions Answered

• •Prison Exchange Breakdown: The Union halted prisoner exchanges in 1863 after the Confederacy refused to treat Black soldiers equally, creating a strategic manpower advantage. This policy shift forced both sides to establish long-term prison facilities, directly leading to Andersonville's creation and overcrowding crisis.
• •Overcrowding Mathematics: Built for 10,000 prisoners on 16.5 acres, Andersonville held 33,000 by August 1864—just six months after opening. The facility received 400 new prisoners daily, creating a 13% fatality rate among all inmates. Expansion to 26.5 acres failed to address the crisis.
• •Internal Governance Systems: Prisoners formed two factions—Raiders who murdered inmates for resources, and Regulators who established courts with juries, judges, and punishments including hanging and stocks. This self-governing system emerged because Confederate authorities provided no protections, forcing inmates to create their own justice mechanisms.
• •Documentation Preservation: Prisoner Dorrance Atwater copied 12,000 names of deceased soldiers, fearing records would disappear after the war. His work with nurse Clara Barton created Andersonville National Cemetery in 1865, leaving only 460 graves unmarked—preserving accountability when Confederate supply failures could have erased evidence.