PROVIDENTIAL SPRING
The Inquirer
October 2, 1909
"PROVIDENTIAL SPRING"
A Prisoner of War in Terrible Andersonville Tells of What He Saw There and How the Prisoners’ Thirst Was Relieved by Unexpected Means...
By John W. Urban
Andersonville prison, where the climax of military atrocity and barbarity was reached in our country, is located in Marion county, Georgia, not quite one mile from Andersonville Station on the Georgia Central railroad; sixty-two miles southeast of Macon, George, and about fifty or sixty miles from the Alabama state line. The station is in Sumpter county, George, the line dividing it from Marion county being in the intermediate space between the station and prison. The station at that time, of itself, was a small, insignificant, unimportant place, and were it not for the fact that it was in such close proximity to the prison very few persons outside of its immediate locality would ever had heard of its existence. The land for a considerable distance around it was almost entirely covered with forest trees, which consisted principally of oak and pine. While the surface of the land in some places was low and swampy, the most of it was rolling, forming a scenery picturesque and pleasing to the eye. The general appearance of the place, however, was wild and desolate. Most naturally it would seem so to the unfortunate men who far from their homes and loved ones were to suffer the most horrible tortures in the pen, erected in this otherwise quiet, peaceful locality, for their imprisonment. A few years ago the writer had the great pleasure of visiting Andersonville Park, and the National Cemetery adjoining, and he can find no words strong enough to describe his feelings as he looked at the wonderful change and appearance of the place since he left it as a prisoner of war, in 1864. As he stood on the highest elevation of the park, and looked on the scene, it seemed as if a weird wand of magic alone could have made such a transformation. The high, hideous stockade that had encircled the grounds, with the once dreaded dead line, had all disappeared, and neat markers designated their former existence. The ground was covered with a beautiful lawn of Bermuda grass, covering with a mantle of green many of the dark, unpleasant features of the past. The stream, once so foul, covered with fifth and grease, that came from the Confederate work house, and excitement of all kinds, now flowed clear and sparkling on its way to the sea. The bottom or low land bordering on the stream that during the history of the prison was so foul from the fifth washed form the hillsides of the prison and the excrement of thousands of prisoners; and had become putrid and full of vermin, that to stand on its bands and look upon it would seem as if the entire bottom was a mass of insect life, had now been transformed into a most inviting spot to rest upon. Kept clean and clear of all tangled undergrowth, of vines and brush, a number of beautiful vigorous forest trees have grown up, affording dense shade from its luxuriant foliage and from its branches the mocking birds sing nightly requiems to the thousands of dead who are sleeping so peacefully in the city of the dead near by. Large, beautiful monuments have been erected by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and other states, with appropriate inscriptions on them. The most striking and significant, "Death Before Dishonor," is on nearly all of them. It is believed that in the near future all of the states that have some of their revered dead lying there will be represented with handsome monuments.
The monument to be erected by the national government will be the largest, handsomest and most impressive of all on the ground, and will add much beauty to the park. The Pennsylvania and New Jersey monuments are inside the cemetery grounds. All of the rest are located inside the stockade. All yet to be erected will be on the later ground, as it is now considered more desirable to have them there, as the site is more prominent, and in full view of passing railroad trains, and there is more land there that can be used for that purpose. A fine flag staff, one hundred and fifteen feet high, stands on the north side of the stockade, from whose height floats old glory in all his beauty. The old forts and entrenchments are in a perfect state of preservation, and will be kept so, but no soldiers in gray or frowning guns are mounted there, threatening deaths and destruction to the miserable inmates of the prison. These forts and entrenchments are now covered with a soft, beautiful sod, and young pine and other forest trees have grown up, giving a grateful shade, thus transforming its former war like aspect to one of gentle peace and goodwill to men.
Soon after the close of the war, many visitors to this memorable place expressed regret that no steps had been taken to purchase and beautify the ground on which so many of our Union soldiers died and suffered, and fit it as a lasting memorial to their memory; but no definite action was taken until May, 189-, when the ground comprising the stockade or prison pen was purchased by the Department of Georgia G.A.R. for $1,500. A considerable amount of money was also expended to clear the ground and in other improvements. In August, 18896, a considerable tract was purchased, covering all the forts and other earthworks, and also a strip of land one hundred feet wide for a road to the public road and railroad station. The park contains eighty-two acres, and is enclosed by a strong, good fence around its entire boundary. Near the old stockade, on the north side of the prison grounds, is a nine-room residence, with well-furnished lodgings free of charge. I don not think, however, that many take advantage of this offer, as nearly all of the visitors are able and perfectly willing to pay for the accommodations they receive.
Captain William Wilson, the caretaker, and his kind, hospitable wife delight in entertaining the old soldiers and every courtesy and comfort possible is given them. The wells dug by the prisoners in the search for good water are in nearly the same condition as they were at the close of the war. A barb wife fence was built around them to keep visitors from getting too close to them, as in any way interfering with their present conditions.
As I have now given the readers a short description of some interesting features connected with the part, omitting one, probably the most interesting of all, but which I shall dwell upon later. I will give a short description of the Andersonville National Cemetery. It is located about one-half mile north of the stockade or park, and is indeed an ideal city of the dead...
Soon after the close of the war, the national government purchased thirty-five acres of land, on which were buried the dead who had died in Andersonville prison. The entire ground was enclosed with a good substantial brick wall, which is now completely covered with ivy.
The entire ground with the exception of the drives and walks is well covered with a beautiful sod. The magnificent live oak and other forest trees, so rich in their Southern foliage, afford a delightful shade. The handsome residence of the superintendent of the cemetery is surrounded by shrubbery, flowers, handsome ornamental and shade trees, and the gate entrance to the cemetery is so beautiful and grand, it would seem as if art and nature had combined to make this one of the most enchanted and beautiful spots on earth. In this ideal city of the dead are buried the mortal remains of 13,710 Union soldiers. A small marble fieldstone marks the grave of each one; if known, giving his name, company and regiment. If not known the single word "unknown" appears on the stone. The headstones are also numbered from No. 1 to the end of the list, this giving the visitor a quick way of ascertaining the number of dead. The official records show the number of dead belonging to each state as here represented, and given in the following column:
Alabama………………………………...........................................15
Connecticut……………………………….....................................304
District of Columbia………………………………...........................7
Delaware………………………………..........................................41
Illinois………………………………............................................889
Indiana……………………………….............................................653
Iowa………………………………...............................................209
Kansas………………………………...............................................3
Kentucky……………………………….........................................444
Maine……………………………….............................................250
Maryland……………………………….........................................185
Massachusetts………………………………..................................767
Michigan……………………………….........................................653
Minnesota……………………………….........................................79
Missouri……………………………….........................................106
New Hampshire………………………………...............................154
New Jersey……………………………….....................................207
New York……………………………….....................................2504
North Carolina………………………………..................................20
Ohio………………………………..............................................1055
Pennsylvania………………………………..................................1847
Rhode Island…………………………………..................................74
Tennessee…………..………………….........................................723
Virginia………………………………............................................54
West Virginia………..……………………...................................228
Wisconsin………………………………........................................256
Col. Troops……………………………….......................................25
U.S. Army and Navy……………………………….........................557
Service Unknown……………………………….............................159
Totally Unknown………………………………...............................991

Total………………………………............................................13,710

A few also perished in the excavations they made for shelter, or in trying to tunnel out, and are buried inside the stockade. Several hundred were removed by friends, soon after, to other cemeteries. Careful estimates place the number of prisoners who died in Andersonville at 13,269. This, however, is more likely to be low than above the actual number who perished there. I do not intend in this article to try to show you what was the cause of the mortality among the Union prisoners in Andersonville prison.
I will, however, try to show how erroneous is the statement that appeared in a prominent Southern newspaper some time ago in regard to this matter. The journal says: The great mortality among Union soldiers at Andersonville was caused by being moved from a Northern climate to a Southern one during the hot part of the year, and the change from a wheat to a corn bread died." How ridiculously untrue this statement is can be easily proved from the three southern states of Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia, being a larger percentage of deaths to the number confined than any other states there represented.. This is especially true of the state of Tennessee. She has 723 of her sons buried there, or about one half of the number there confined. This is the more significant from the fact that most of the Union soldiers from that state were from the mountainous eastern part - strong, well mountaineers, much given to outdoor life and corn diet.
The Inquirer
October 9, 1909

Providential Spring
A Prisoner of War in Terrible Andersonville Tells of What He Saw There and How the Prisoners' Thirst was Relieved by Unexpected Means

By John W. Urban
(continued from last week)

The Confederate guards sometimes boasted that our prison contained prisoners from almost every state in the North and South, and this was no doubt true, but I cannot understand on what special grounds they made this boast, as it revealed the fact that the love for the Union was not crushed out entirely, even in the part of the country which they claimed exclusively as their own. That men who were born and reared in the South would suffer the agony and misery of living and even dying in a prison like Andersonville, before they would enter the Southern army or raise an arm against the old flag, is a wonderful tribute to the glorious character and unflinching loyalty of the Union men of the South. All honor to them; and may the day hasten when their services will be more fully recognized by all the people of our land. There can be no doubt that a large number in the South, and a very considerable number in the Confederate Army, had no heart in the rebellion, and were heartily glad when the war was over, and the Union restored.
During the month of August more than three thousand Union prisoners died in this Southern prison, being an average of about one hundred deaths for every day in the month. Of these, about one-half perished in the first ten days of the month, when an event occurred which greatly benefited the sanitary condition of the prison and lessened the mortality. These ten days were undoubtedly the most terrible in the history of this notorious prison. The weather was the warmest we had yet experienced, and the rains had not been sufficient to wash much of the filth away, and what of it that did wash from the hillside of the prison lodged on the swamp. Terrible as was the prison on the high ground, it was much worse on the latter-named place. This place had become very filthy in the early history of the prison, but it was now in a condition which threatened to destroy every one of us. The filth, which had washed from the hillsides, had not become so putrid and full of vermin that to stand on the banks and look upon it, it would seem as if the entire swamp was a mass of insect life. From this large body of rottenness and of pestilence came millions of maggots, worms and vermin, which spread themselves over the prison. The stench arising from this rotten matter had become almost unendurable. Pestilent vapors loaded the air with deadly poison, which found an easy lodging place on the half starved beings inside of the prison. The water had become so impure that it was almost impossible to get a drink of it that was palatable inside of the stockade. Not only the stream and spring along its banks were impure, but even the few deep wells had become so from vermin dripping into them. I have walked along the stream and examined spring after spring to get a cup of water that was a little better than the rest, and would at last be compelled to dip from some spring, the bottom of which would be covered with maggots. Scurvy, the most terrible disease that afflicted us, was now becoming fearfully prevalent, and more than one-half of the prisoners were more or less afflicted with it. More than one-half of the number that died perished of this dreaded disease. This disease is the result of impure air, bad water and improper food, and as we had the two first named articles in abundance, and what we had of the third was of the improper kind, the result was, of course, scurvy. On the 7th, 8th and 9th the weather was so awfully hot that it really appeared as if the heat would kill us all. Those were the most terrible days in the history of our prison. On the 9th one hundred and seventy-five prisoners died and the mortality in the three days was nearly five hundred.
I have not the least doubt that had not a kind Providence interfered and sent the great rainstorm on the 9th death would have swept all of us away inside of 60 days. This may be considered a wild estimate by those who have never experienced prison life in the South, but I feel sure that at least those who remember Andersonville as it was at that time will not consider this an unlikely statement. The terrible condition of the water we were compelled to drink, the fearful stench arising from the putrid filth that now covered the entire camp, was enough of itself to sweep the prison of every living thing. Directly after noon on the 9th large, ink-black clouds approaching from the west, vivid flashes of lightning, and sharp, quick claps of thunder, which reminded us of a heavy cannonade, indicated that a fearful storm was approaching, and we watched its approach with a great deal of interest and anxiety. It was not pleasant in our unsheltered condition to be exposed to such a terrible storm as this threatened to be, but then we needed a heavy rain so badly that we were rather glad to see its approach. It soon burst over us with a fury that was appalling, and the rain poured down as if all the flood gates of the heavens had opened. The deluge of water, the terrible flashes of lightening, the crashes of thunder and the roaring of the storm made a scene awful and grand; and it seemed as if all the elements of heaven had combined to set us free. On the 10th day after the great flood it was very warm until noon, when it again rained until night. The next morning it was clear, cool and pleasant, and we had a chance to dry off and look around to see what the storm had done for us; and we soon found that it had indeed worked for our good. It had undoubtedly hastened the death of the very sickest men, but it had immensely bettered the condition of those who were still living. The entire prison was swept in such a manner as to be quite clean, compared to its former condition. Almost all the filth and vermin was swept away, and the atmosphere was quite pure, and in strange contrast to the terrible conditions a few days before. We soon found that this was not only the blessing the storm had conferred upon us and which was to greatly improve the conditions of our prison; for it was soon discovered that a strong, pure spring of water had burst out right beneath the dead line alongside of the hill, and about one hundred feet from the brook. The water was cool and pure, and was in strange contrast to the filthy stuff we had been using. The discovery of this strange affair soon created great excitement all over our prison, and by common consent was named "The Providential Spring." Our enemies, perhaps awe-stricken at this providential interference with their plans to destroy us, made a trough so that we could better get the water, and the rush soon became so great to get to this life-giving stream that the regulators, to preserve order made the men who were crowding up to get water fall into line and take their turn to receive it. A long line of men could be seen continually going and coming from this place, and for the remainder of our prison life in Andersonville we had at least this one great blessing, the water. Whether the remarkable bursting of this spring was an act of Divine Providence, a phenomenon, a remarkable or unusual appearance, whose cause is not immediately obvious or understood, or the result of natural causes that caused this spring to burst from the earth at this most opportune time, giving comfort and renewed life to the thousands of suffering human beings imprisoned there, will, I presume, be judged by the religious conditions and belief of the reader. That its appearance came from natural causes, brought on by the great rainstorm, will, no doubt, be the verdict of many; but does it not seem strange, and, to say the least, remarkable, that no one living in that vicinity can remember the spot as anything but a dry, sandy one, and so far up the hillside and from the brooks as to seem almost impossible, or at least highly improbable that water should ever flow from it. So by those who witnessed its strange appearance, and drank of its cool, pure waters, it will always be recognized as something Providential; and if an all-wise Providence guides the destiny of nations, and protects God's people, who can doubt but this spring was sent by the giver of all Good for the purpose of bettering the condition of our prison ?
"At His command the lurid lightning flies, Shakes the firm globe, and the fires the vaulted skies."
The National Woman's Relief Corps has erected over the spring a beautiful pavilion, so strongly constructed with granite and cement from floor to roof that it will be kept from destruction by the elements for ages to come. A beautiful, covered fountain of marble, a gift from the National Prisoners of War Association, is inside of the pavilion, on the spot where the spring burst out. From the fountain the water is conveyed by pipe to the outside of the pavilion, and then flows rippling and sparkling to the brook below, just as it did more than two score years ago. May it flow on through all the years and ages to come, ready to refresh all who come to this Mecca of patriotism, and to all future generations teach the greatest lesson of heroic endurance and patriotic duty to country the world has ever witnessed.