Federal prisoners begin arriving at Andersonville 150 years ago today (Feb 24 1864)


Video: 'Andersonville Prison'

(Wednesday, February 24, 1864; during the American Civil War) — According to the National Park Service, the first Union prisoners arrived at the Confederates’ Andersonville prison camp in Georgia. During its 14 months of existence, the overcrowded camp ended up holding some 45,000 men, more than four times its intended capacity; nearly 13,000 prisoners perished from disease, starvation or exposure.