Since the close of the war, and since the time when the sketch of the
graveyard was taken, Colonel Moore, of the U. S. Quartermaster's
Department, has been to Andersonville, under orders from the Secretary of
War, and arranged the cemetery in a very acceptable manner. All of the
stakes were removed, and neat head-boards placed instead, with the names
of the dead properly painted in black letters. The ground has been cleared
up by this efficient officer, and the cemetery carefully laid out into
walks, adorned with flowers and trees. Colonel Moore, in his report to the
Quartermaster-General, writes the following account:--
"The dead were found buried in trenches, on a site selected by the rebels,
about three hundred yards from the stockade. The trenches varied in length
from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards. The bodies in the trenches were
from two to three feet below the surface, and in several instances, where
the rain had washed away the earth, but a few inches. Additional earth
was, however, thrown upon the graves, making them of still greater depth.
So close were they buried, without coffins, or the ordinary clothing to
cover their nakedness, that not more than twelve inches were allowed to
each man. Indeed, the little tablets marking their resting-places,
measuring hardly ten inches in width, almost touch each other. United
States soldiers, while prisoners at Andersonville, had been detailed to
inter their companions; and by a simple stake at the head of each grave,
which bore a number corresponding with a similarly numbered name upon the
Andersonville hospital record, I was enabled to identify, and mark with a
neat tablet, similar to those in the cemeteries at Washington, the number,
name, rank, regiment, company, and date of death of twelve thousand four
hundred and sixty-one graves; there being but four hundred and fifty-one
that bore the sad inscription, 'Unknown U. S. Soldier.'"
Extract from letters of the rebel Senator Foote, dated Montreal, June 21,
1865.
"Touching the Congressional report referred to, I have this to say: A
month or two anterior to the date of said report, I learned from a
government officer of respectability, that the prisoners of war then
confined in and about Richmond were suffering severely from want of
provisions. He told me, further, that it was manifest to him that a
systematic scheme was on foot for subjecting these unfortunate men to
starvation; that the Commissary-General, Mr. Northrup (a most wicked and
heartless wretch), had addressed a communication to Mr. Seddon, the
Secretary of War, proposing to withhold meat altogether from military
prisoners then in custody, and to give them nothing but bread and
vegetables; and that Mr. Seddon had indorsed the document containing this
communication affirmatively. I learned, further, that by calling upon
Major Ould, the commissioner for exchange of prisoners, I would be able to
obtain further information upon the subject. I went to Major Ould
immediately, and obtained the desired information. Being utterly unwilling
to countenance such barbarity for a moment,--regarding, indeed, the honor
of the whole South as concerned in the affair,--I proceeded without delay
to the hall of the House of Representatives, called the attention of that
strangely constituted body to the subject, and insisted upon an immediate
committee of investigation."
* * * * *
As to the capacity of the bakery, any one can make his own estimates from
the plan given. The foreman of the government bakery at Nashville, gives
his views in the following note:--
"SIR: Our system in wheaten flour bread is, five men bake six ovens
full in the twelve hours; one oven full, 36 pans; 9 loaves (18
rations) in each pan; 36 pans x 18 = 648 x 6 ovens full = 3888 x 2
(for twenty-four hours) = 7776 rations: this is done by two ovens. Say
six men on each oven (any more would be in the way), two and a half
hours to knead and bake each oven full (almost impossible), ten ovens
full in the twelve hours in the day time (two ovens five times full in
the twelve hours), ten ovens full in the twelve hours in the night
time, each oven full 40 pans, 12 rations in each (20 oz. of corn
bread); 40 pans x 12 = 480 x 10 for day's work = 4800 + 4800 for night
work = 9600 rations in the twenty-four hours.
Sir, all the above are in the extreme.
Most respectfully,
JOHN WITHERSPOON, Foreman U. S. Bakery."
* * * * *
The hospital register gives the following data as to the number of
prisoners present during each month, the number treated medically, and the
average number of deaths:--
===============================================================
| Number of | Number in | Average
Month. | Prisoners. | Hospital. | Daily Deaths.
--------------------+--------------+------------+--------------
February, 1864 | 1,600 | 33 | ..
March, " | 4,603 | 909 | 9
April, " | 7,875 | 870 | 19
May, " | 13,486 | 1,190 | 23
June, " | 22,352 | 1,605 | 40
July, " | 28,689 | 2,156 | 56
August, " | 32,193 | 3,709 | 99
September, " | 17,733 | 3,026 | 89
October, " | 5,885 | 2,245 | 51
November, " | 2,024 | 242 | 16
December, " | 2,218 | 431 | 5
January, 1865 | 4,931 | 595 | 6
February, " | 5,195 | 365 | 5
March, " | 4,800 | 140 | 3
===============================================================
The greatest number of deaths, on any single day, was on the 23d of
August, 1864, and was 127, or one death every eleven minutes.
* * * * *
The fact of the employment of blood-hounds is too notorious to admit of
doubt. Many packs of dogs were kept, and a profitable business was done in
the catching of escaped prisoners. Ben Harris was seen to receive pay for
the capture of sixty prisoners, at thirty dollars apiece. That some of the
pursued were killed in the forests during the pursuit, there is no doubt
in the writer's mind, from the evidence offered.
The following table was collated from the hospital records of the prison,
and is believed, by the writer and clerks who were employed at the rebel
office, to be quite correct:--
===============================================================
| Deaths | Deaths | Deaths in |
Month. | in | in | Small Pox | Total.
| Hospital. | Stockade. | Hospital. |
-----------------+-----------+-----------+------------+--------
February, 1864. | 1 | .. | .. | 1
March, " | 262 | 15 | 5 | 282
April, " | 471 | 71 | 34 | 576
May, " | 633 | 65 | 10 | 708
June, " | 1,041 | 150 | 10 | 1,201
July, " | 1,119 | 614 | 5 | 1,738
August, " | 1,489 | 1,592 | .. | 3,081
September, " | 1,255 | 1,423 | .. | 2,678
October, " | 1,294 | 301 | .. | 1,595
November, " | 494 | .. | .. | 494
December, " | 166 | 2 | .. | 168
January, 1865. | 191 | 8 | .. | 199
February, " | 147 | .. | .. | 147
March, " | 100 | .. | .. | 100
+-----------+-----------+------------+--------
Total | 8,663 | 4,241 | 64 | 12,968
-----------------+-----------+-----------+------------+
Hung in stockade for crime | 6
+--------
Total deaths as registered | 12,974
===============================================================
The hospital records show that 17,873 patients were registered, and that
823 of these were exchanged, and about 25 took the oath of allegiance,
leaving 17,048 to be accounted for, giving a mortality of seventy-six per
cent. Besides the registered dead, there were some who perished by the
falling of the excavations in the stockade, and others destroyed by hounds
and hunters in the forests.
* * * * *
The meteorological tables and the vegetal charts of Blodgett will give the
rain-fall of this region in comparison with the other districts of the
United States.
The following table, which was compiled by the author from the official
records of the British army, gives the number of soldiers who were killed
in action, or afterwards perished from their wounds, in many of the great
battles of the British empire:--
=====================================================
| | Total Strength | Estimated
Year. | Battles. | engaged. | Deaths.
----------+-------------+-----------------+----------
1809. | Talavera, | 22,100 | 1,445
1811. | Albuera, | 9,000 | 1,358
1812. | Salamanca, | 30,500 | 770
1813. | Vittoria, | 42,000 | 890
1815. | Ligny, | ... | ...
.. | Quatre Bras,| ... | ...
.. | Wavre, | 49,900 | 3,245
.. | Waterloo, | ... | ...
.. | New Orleans,| 6,000 | 625
1854. | Crimea, | ... | 4,595
----------+-------------+-----------------+---------
Total number of deaths from wounds | 12,928
====================================================