Andersonville in Macon County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
World of Lost Spirits
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, November 8, 2008
1. World of Lost Spirits Marker
When the inner gates swung open, new prisoners had their first vision of life inside. The noise, the stench, the crowd of emaciated men desperate for news, must have been overwhelming.
New arrivals were known as "fresh fish." Anything of value—money, buttons, clothing—might be conned or stolen from them. Even worse was the sight of other prisoners; in those skeletal forms and lifeless eyes, a new prisoner could foresee his own fate.
"Once inside...men exclaimed: 'Is this hell?' Verily, the great mass of gaunt, unnatural-looking beings, soot-begrimed, and clad in filthy tatters, that we saw stalking about inside this pen looked, indeed, as if they might belong to a world of lost spirits."
W.B. Smith, 14th Illinois Infantry
October 9, 1864.
(top right)
Directly ahead stretched "Market Street," the only defined path through the jumble of shelters. Food wagons stopped there, prisoners had bartering sites, and prison merchants set up stalls in a pathetic parody of a commercial street.
(caption)
Issuing rations to 33,000 prisoners, August 1864
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is October 9, 1864.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Tight Stockade (a few steps from this marker); Providence Spring (within shouting distance of this marker); The North Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); Stockade Branch (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); National Woman's Relief Corps Tribute (about 400 feet away); Tennessee (about 400 feet away); Ohio (about 500 feet away); Massachusetts (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Andersonville.
Also see . . . Andersonville National Historic Site. National Park Service (Submitted on October 2, 2015.)
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, November 8, 2008
2. World of Lost Spirits Marker
Photographed By J. Makali Bruton, December 26, 2017
3. World of Lost Spirits Marker
Photographed By [Miller] Vol. VII, p. 131, August 17, 1864
4. Andersonville Prison, Ga., August 17, 1864. Issuing rations, view from main gate
Courtesy Library of Congress (LC-B8171-8220)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2018. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 390 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 1, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 3. submitted on January 24, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. 4. submitted on October 1, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
