Visit to Andersonville Prison
It has
been a desire of mine for the past several years to visit the grave of George
Shriver who died in Andersonville Prison in August, 1864. Since becoming
involved with the Shrivers' story a wealth of information has been discovered
about Hettie and the Shriver children, Sadie and Mollie. But, little was
understood about what George endured while a prisoner of war. My visit to
Andersonville National Historic Site changed all that.
George W. Shriver mustered into Co. C., of Maryland's Cole's Cavalry in September, 1861, just months after the war broke out. George rose to the rank of corporal, and fought at Gettysburg. However, in January, 1864, near Rectortown, Virginia, George was one of 12 men captured in a skirmish with Mosby's Raiders. At the same time a stockade was being constructed in Andersonville, Georgia, to house Union prisoners of war. George's fate would be forever sealed in that small southern town.
The
16½ acre stockade was constructed to house 6,000 Union prisoners. The
number of prisoners grew to over 25,000 by June, 1864. Conditions worsened
daily. Prisoners were dying of diarrhea, dysentery, scurvy, and pneumonia.
During the 14 months the camp operated, over 45,000 Union prisoners passed
through the gates - 12,914 never left alive. They were buried in shallow
graves, shoulder to shoulder. George died at Andersonville in August,
1864, of starvation and scurvy.
I strongly recommend a visit to Andersonville National Historic Site and The National Prisoner of War Museum. Visit their web site for more information and additional reading.