Friday, April 18, 2014

P is for PROVIDENCE SPRING

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

(Kathy’s A to Z posts are tidbits of fact gleaned from her research for her historical-fiction novel LIKE A RIVER.)

When Andersonville prison camp was first constructed, it contained a branch of Sweetwater Creek. That creek was to be used by the prisoners for their every need: drinking, bathing, washing clothes and cooking utensils—and waste.

Wood “sinks” were built along one edge of the creek for men to empty their bowels directly into what was also the source of their drinking water. Before long, the stream became a contaminated, foul-smelling swamp that attracted flies by day and mosquitoes at night. The diseases spread throughout the camp from this creek were innumerable.

In August, 1864, a torrential downpour flooded the creek, which made matters worse—for a time.

When the flood water receded, it revealed a spring which bubbled from an underground aquifer too deep to have been contaminated by the stream. The prisoners proclaimed the water was clean and tasted sweeter than any water they had tasted in a long time.

But the spring sat on the wrong side of the dead line (see post for D). After contriving ways to reach the water with buckets tied to poles, some prisoners felt clean water was worth risking their lives for. Eventually, they were allowed to dig a reservoir for the spring to flow into, and men could drink clean water without fear of being shot.


The spring, which many attributed to a divine hand, was named Providence Spring. It still flows at the site of the prison. However the water is no longer safe to drink.

8 comments:

  1. The first part of the story is disgusting.
    Ironic the water can't be consumed now.

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    1. Yes, it was disgusting. But reading about it is far better than having lived it. And ironic indeed.

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  2. Very interesting post. The details that we find when we dig for our stories!

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    1. Thanks, Carol. Research can unearth some unbelievable truths. Our ancestors survived real horrors.

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  3. Yikes. This is quite a post to enter on! I was totally captivated by the story and have about 50 questions, like where was this, and when, and what is your book about??? Guess I'll have to stick around here for a while ;)

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    1. So glad you came by, Liz. LIKE A RIVER is a different kind of Civil War tale, that focuses on things other than well-known battles. The prison mentioned was built near Andersonville, GA, in 1864. The book follows 2 different Union soldiers, and offers a number of surprises. I hope you'll read it when it comes out next year.

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  4. I have heard that more Civil War soldiers died of dysentery than from wounds.

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    1. I'm not sure about dysentery alone, but disease in general caused more deaths than battles. It's a staggering statistic. Thanks, Ann.

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