"And if the CSA or civilians in the vicinity of Andersonville had enough food, they would have shared it with those POW's." Joe don't get me wrong I'm not trying to defend the Federals but your statement in my opinion is not entirely correct concerning the civilians near Andersonville.

Anna Harden was a Southern woman who lived near Dawson, Georgia. She wrote to her mother in North Carolina and her following letter is in the manuscript department at Duke University. Although the letter does NOT have a date it is judged by myself to be in the neighborhood of the 2nd week of May of 1864.

"A large party of ladies and gentlemen from this place paid a visit to Andersonville-the Yankee prison- on last Saturday. We were invited to witness a sham battle which took place on Saturday evening and we had a pleasant trip. We had an extra train provided for our accommodation and it was loaded almost to suffocation. I suppose there must have been twelve hundred persons present- most of them ladies from the adjacent country. The soldiers presented quite an imposing appearance with their glittering musketry. It passed off finally without a single accident, and then we repaired with the soldiers to a table laden with the good things of life which had been prepared by our patriotic ladies- each lady carried a basket of provisions with her and gave our soldiers a good dinner. There are several regiments stationed there to guard the prisoners- I suppose there are twelve thousand confined in the stockade. It is a great sight to see them. It looks almost like New York now they are so numerous! Yours affectionately- Anna Harden."