During the summer of 1864, Union armies laid siege to Atlanta, Georgia. On September 1, 1864, a day before the siege ended, Commissary Sergeant William Badger of Antigo was captured by retreating Confederates. Over a span of eight months, he was moved from prison to prison. He describes the suffering at a prison in Savannah.

Enlarge

Andersonville Prison, 1864

Andersonville, Georgia. Prison camp. View the original source document: WHI 75547.

Enlarge

Rebel Works in Front of Atlanta, GA No. 4, 1864

Atlanta, Georgia. View of confederate defenses surrounding Atlanta. View the original source document: WHI 78970.

From Original Text: "On September 23rd and 24th it rained two days and one night until our camp was completely covered with water. Not a spot of earth could be seen inside the stockade and those who slept that night did so while standing.

On the 25th the weather cleared and by midnight we began to find places to lay. It then turned cold so that ice formed as thick as window glass. This caused much suffering as we had no blankets, only thin summer clothing.

The loyalty of the suffering prisoners to their country and its officers was astonishing. One instance is recalled of Mr. Bailey, a lawyer of New York, who, trying to gain favor with the Rebs, began to make a speech to us in which he berated Grant and Lincoln and our government generally for prolonging the war, etc. As soon as the drift of his talk was discovered, the "Northern mudsills" knocked him down and nearly killed him before he could reach the guard, where he went with all speed."