Adjacent to the cemetery location is eric leonard, the chief of the historical site. He will be with us for the next hour to talk about the history of andersonville and why does consider the most notorious site of the civil war. We are joining our phone line so you can join the conversation. If you want to join the conversation, 2027488900. That is for eastern and central time zones. If in the pacific or Mountain Time zones, 2027488901. You can also post questions and comments on our facebook page. Facebook. Com cspanhistory. Mr. Leonard, thank you for him joining us this afternoon. Mr. Leonard it is my pleasure to be here. Host lets start with where is andersonville . For someone who is not aware of andersonvilles significance, where does it fall . Mr. Leonard it is important to it is important to start with this idea that military prisoners and prisoners of war are often left out of the mainstream telling of the war. Quite friendly, there are no winners in the story. This is not a ba
Brotherhood. I know that with his persistence without his persistence, we would have never known this tale , nor how his existence on this earth created a family of future soldiers. Being o invention of the anon did researchmillers through the National Archives to uncover archives to pay a portrait of his ancestor. Like a puzzle, piece after piece, perfectly placed, these facts and figures help contribute to our now intimate, and personal, glimpse into a shared National History that comes directly from the genealogy of many family trees. Miller was himself a volunteer soldier. He chose to serve and a time of war, despite being a student at. Enn State University as he turned back the pages of American History, he learned how improbable his existence was, and yet, he stands amongst us today to share the unlikely yarn. You see, little did he know that in the course of just one year, fight, benlist, captured at st. Marys church prisonginia, survived , and be relocated to andersonville, and
Different. It is a valor and honor. Those concepts take a different form here. And many respects, in a standard guess, they are prisoners of war, and then you move right back to the battles. Often, and addressing the story, there is an and knowledge of that, and then no detail, and you move on. Andersonville has a name brand recognition. The public often doesnt know any of the details beyond the name and that something unusual took place there. Host lets start with the basics. When was it built . What was its purpose . Mr. Leonard in the fall of 1863 as the Exchange System of the previous two years falls apart, due to the presence of black soldiers in the field, and the question over how to treat like soldiers black soldiers. With afederacy is faced problem. There holding the mostly in the richmond area. Thousands, 10,000 prisoners in richmond it has a drag effect on the community. Resources are going in to maintain the prisoners. If you are in the Confederate Army, or the government,
Professor gordon i think you were speaking of the common point of how men came to terms with the decisions they made. Again, with my work on the 16th, theres one particular soldier who, in his diary, theres one section where he is extremely critical of men that took these paroles or it again, to work in the cookhouse or work in the hospital. Some of them worked as shoemakers, which was a highly valued trade for the confederacy. They wanted help making shoes. He was extremely angry and bitter about this. This was so shameful. Again, death before dishonor. Hisin the last page of diary, he confesses that he accepted a parole when he was at florence. It to stay alive, so we could go home to his wife and daughter. He says he regrets that he was so judgmental of his comrades. That no one should do that. That no one should try to assume they know what its like to be in that position. I think it speaks to this gutwrenching torments of these prisoners were going through, whether this prison or
Good afternoon, catch sump s. Live to the Andersonville National Historic Site and cemetery for the next three hours taking your phone calls and watching a commemorative funeral for the 13,000 prisoners of war who died here in 1864 and 186 35 our guest eric leonard, the former andersonville chief of interpretation and Leslie Gordon, university of akron history professor. We are opening up phone lines to so you join in. If you want to give us a call and ask questions, 202. 7488900 in the eastern and central time zones. In the mountain and pacific, 2027488901. If you want to send us a tweet, you can do so cspanhistory. Facebook. Com cspan history. Thank you for joining us this afternoon. Its my pleasure to be here. Lets start with what is andersonville for someone who does not know. Not aware of an dersonvilles significance, where does it fall . Its important to start with this idea that military prisons and prisoners of war are not part often are left out of the mainstream telling of th