Was Andersonville the worst prison?

13,000 of the 45,000 Union soldiers imprisoned here died, making Andersonville the worst prison in the Civil War. The site is now the National POW Museum.

Does Netflix have Andersonville?

Watch Andersonville on Netflix Today!

How accurate is the movie Andersonville?

Andersonville is a fairly accurate representation of prison living conditions, including sanitation, shelter, disease, food, and especially the need for clean water. Like in the film, many prisoners tried to tunnel their way out of the prison, but most were caught and returned to the stockade.

Is Andersonville Prison still there?

A monument to Wirz, erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, stands today in the town of Andersonville. Andersonville prison ceased operation in May 1865.

What caused conditions at Andersonville to be so poor?

It was overcrowded to four times its capacity, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 died….Prisoner population.

What was the worst civil war prison?

Camp Sumter Military Prison
Camp Sumter Military Prison, more commonly known as Andersonville, was in operation from February of 1864 until the end of the war. During that time approximately 45,000 Union soldiers were held in captivity at Andersonville. Of these, nearly 13,000 died, making Andersonville the deadliest landscape of the Civil War.

Who are the main characters in Andersonville?

Characters in Andersonville

• Henry Wirz (Confederate, camp commandant)
• John McElroy (Union prisoner, future memoir writer)
• William Collins (Union prisoner, “Raider” leader executed by fellow prisoners)
• Boston Corbett (Union prisoner, future killer of John Wilkes Booth)

Where was Andersonville filmed?

Frankenheimer constructed the set of Andersonville by building a stockade and barracks modeled after the original prison, and the cast and crew filmed on location in Turin (Coweta County), Georgia; North Carolina; and California.

What happened to Japanese prisoners of war?

Unlike the prisoners held by China or the western Allies, these men were treated harshly by their captors, and over 60,000 died. Japanese POWs were forced to undertake hard labour and were held in primitive conditions with inadequate food and medical treatments.

What was the largest southern jail that help Union soldiers?

Andersonville Prison
Detail from “Bird’s-eye view of Andersonville Prison from the south-east,” 1890. The largest and most famous of 150 military prisons of the Civil War, Camp Sumter, commonly known as Andersonville, was the deadliest landscape of the Civil War. Of the 45,000 Union soldiers imprisoned here, nearly 13,000 died.

How did prisoners attempt to cope with the horrible conditions?

To cope with the horrible conditions within the stockade, prisoners turned to various activities. They carved objects, sang songs, played games such as checkers and cards, read any material they could get, and wrote letters and diaries.

What did prisoners eat at Andersonville?

The prisoners arrived before the barracks were built and so lived with virtually no protection from the blistering Georgia sun or the long winter rains. Food rations were a small portion of raw corn or meat, which was often eaten uncooked because there was almost no wood for fires.

How many people died in Andersonville Prison?

The prison at Andersonville, officially called Camp Sumter , was the South’s largest prison for captured Union soldiers and known for its unhealthy conditions and high death rate. In all, approximately 13,000 Union prisoners perished at Andersonville, and following the war its commander, Captain Henry Wirz (1823-65), was tried,…

What did they do to the prisoners at Andersonville?

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – It was the most witnessed execution in U.S. history. On a sultry July evening in 1864 in Southwest Georgia, six Union prisoners of war were executed by their own for robbing and assaulting their fellow prisoners. These six, part of a larger group called the “Raiders”, were hanged on a single gallows.

Who was the Andersonville prison camp named for?

Commonly known as Andersonville, the military prison facility was officially named Camp Sumter , in honor of the county in which it was located. Construction of the camp began in early 1864 after the decision had been made to relocate Union prisoners to a more secure location.