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Andersonville
also known as Sumter's camp was a Confederate-run concentration camp
during the American Civil War. It was in operation for the last 14
months of the civil war. Andersonville held approximately 45,000, and
13,000 died due to their internment in Andersonville.
Andersonville had several problems which led to high death rates. It is easier to compile them into a list.
1.
The water supply was heavily contaminated. Andersonville had one tiny
river flowing through it, in which Confederate soldiers would dump
faeces and urine upstream so it would spread disease in the camp.
2.
Diseases such as scurvy, diarrhoea, and dysentery were widespread.
Parasites such as hookworms were common too. Many prisoners died from
disease as there was very little hygiene being practised.
3.
The defences around the camp were tough to escape from. A high 19-foot
stockade made it difficult for anyone to climb out of the centre. Guards
from platforms called pigeon roosts shot anyone they saw trying to
escape.
4. Food quality was very poor at the camp. Cannibalism was common, and any food with good nutritional value was rare.
5.
Social structure played a vital role. Prisoners often found themselves
in groups. Each of these groups played a different role in the prison
hierarchy. Examples of these groups were the Anderson Raiders and the
Regulators. The raiders would raid other groups and steal food,
supplies, and clothes. The regulators were set up to combat the raiders
and even held court sessions, in which six raiders were hanged by
prisoners for their crimes toward other inmates.
6.
The prisoners were given no clothes, and this left inmates in their
uniforms, which became tattered as the months went on and exposed the
inmates to the elements.
The union also had prison camps that saw similar conditions. Both sides treated prisoners terribly on different occasions.
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