Andersonville Raiders

The Andersonville Raiders were a band of rogue soldiers incarcerated at the Confederate Andersonville Prison during the American Civil War. Led by their chieftains – Charles Curtis, John Sarsfield, Patrick Delaney, Teri Sullivan (aka "WR Rickson", according to other sources), William Collins, and A. Munn – these soldiers terrorized their fellow prisoners, stealing their possessions and sometimes even committing murder.

An internal force of soldiers with a policing role, called the "Regulators", was eventually formed to counter the Raiders' theft and violence. In the early summer of 1864, leading members were finally brought to trial. On July 11, 1864, six of the Raiders' leaders were hanged, concluding the group's control of the Confederate prison.

Formally called "Camp Sumter", Andersonville (as it was later named by prisoners) was established in February 1864 in the small town of Andersonville, Georgia. The camp was established in response to a surplus in prisoners-of-war (POWs) that was the result of a breakdown in POW exchanges in 1863. The surplus had led to overcrowding in Confederate-run POW camps across the northern part of the Confederacy, particularly in the Richmond camps. As a result, the Confederacy needed to create a large Southern prison that could handle a considerable population of inmates.

Andersonville, Georgia, was chosen as a strategic location for the Confederacy's new prison due to its small location and close proximity to fresh water and a railroad. Originally about 16 acres (65,000 m²), the camp would later be expanded to 26 acres (110,000 m²). The entire camp was surrounded by a 15 foot (4.6 m) high , with large guard towers known as "pigeon roosts" located every 30 yards. Located about 15 feet (4.6 m) from the stockade was a smaller fence called the "dead line" (so termed because any prisoner who crossed this fence would be shot).

Its creators built Andersonville not for quality but with the dual priorities of preventing escape and enabling as many prisoners as possible to be housed within the new camp. No wooden barracks were built; prisoners were required to live in self-built tents. At its height in August 1864, the camp housed over 30,000 Union prisoners of war.

Conditions at Andersonville were among the worst of all Civil War prison camps; the camp was extremely overcrowded and starvation was a common cause of death. The overcrowding, coupled with unsanitary conditions, caused illnesses to flourish within the camp. When food was available, prisoners would often suffer from diseases caused by contaminated food and water. Dysentery, scurvy, and gangrene became prolific as a result of the harsh conditions and poor quality of food.

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