Prisoner of War museum holds captives' stories, spirit (ANDERSONVILLE)

Minn. Star-Trib Travel section ^ | Nov 7 04 | Minn. Star-Trib

[churchillbuff]

ANDERSONVILLE, GA. --

Andersonville National Historic Site, now run by the National Park Service, has three sections: the prison field where the stockade once stood, a cemetery still burying veterans and the National Prisoner of War Museum, which serves as a memorial to all U.S. prisoners of war throughout the nation's history.

...Southerners tend to wonder why Andersonville bears such a cruel reputation when Northern prisons were also bad.

Notably, in the one at Elmira, N.Y., 24 percent of 12,000 Southern prisoners died. At Andersonville, the comparable figure for deaths is 29 percent of its 45,000 Northern prisoners.

....

The truth about what happened at the Hanoi Hilton or Andersonville, or any wartime prison camp run by any country, can never be fully understood by anyone who didn't live it. But Andersonville National Historic Site, in the words of its brochure, does its best to help visitors understand the loss of freedom experienced by prisoners of war, so that visitors are able "to cherish freedom all the more."

[Garattler]

All of the prisons housing (if you can call it that) Prisoners of war during The War Between the States were like those described here. The difference being that The North won the war and was allowed the privilege of writing history. The atrocities committed by Union Troops was generally ignored in the history books. I have seen letters written during this period which do describe events which never will be recorded in history books that are taught in our schools. Sad.

[churchillbuff]

The atrocities committed by Union Troops was generally ignored in the history books."""

What do you say about the claim that Sherman's troops were gentlemanly, in that rapes weren't committed, unlike other armies of conquest throughout history?

[GOP_Muzik]

Thanks for posting that..the Andersonville museum is awesome, definitely worth the trip. I did the music and sound for the movie "Echoes of Captivity", which is narrated by Colin Powell btw. It was very special to work with these heroes, and I feel privileged to have worked on such an incredible project.

[Bars4Bill]

From the looks of things in 1864 and despite the statistics, I think I'd have preferred a stay at Elmira rather than Andersonville.

[real saxophonist]

I went to Americus High School, and the band went to Andersonville one year to have their yearbook pictures taken.

We were an 80 piece band that went around beating 200 piece bands in competition.

The director was a former Marine who inspired a few of us to join the Marines ourselves.