Andersonville in Macon County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Pigeon-Roosts
Sentry boxes or "pigeon-roosts" were mounted every 100 feet along the top of the stockade. The guards there had orders to shoot any prisoner who crossed the deadline. Otherwise they had little control over conditions inside.
Perched above the camp, the guards themselves became prisoners of tedium and anxiety—always fearful of prisoner uprising or Union cavalry attack. After a while the noise, the stench, and the view across acres of ragged men and shelters have numbed the senses.
The guards also suffered from many of the same health problems as the prisoners, resulting in a high death rate in that group as well.
"Each of the guards faced the vast mass of prisoners and was ordered to closely watch the dead line before and below him half way to his comrade on his right and left."
John L. Maile, 8th Michigan Infantry, May 22, 1864
(captions)
(center) The guards—mostly old men and young boys from the Georgia Reserve Corps—were reluctant witnesses to the misery at Andersonville. More seasoned troops were sent to stop Sherman's drive toward Atlanta.
(right) Local townspeople sometimes came to gawk at the prisoners.
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 May 22, 1864.
Location. 32° 11.746′ N, 84° 7.621′ W. Marker is in Andersonville, Georgia, in Macon County. Marker is on Prison Site Road, 0.2 miles Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Andersonville GA 31711, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Expanded Stockade (within shouting distance of this marker); Shebangs (within shouting distance of this marker); View from a Pigeon-Roost (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Monuments and Memories (about 500 feet away); This Was Andersonville (about 500 feet away); Earthwork Defenses (about 500 feet away); Memorial to POWs at Hiroshima, Japan (about 500 feet away); The Battling Bastards of Bataan (about 500 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.)
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 336 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 1, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 4. submitted on January 24, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. 5, 6. submitted on October 1, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.