Holland City News, April 13, 1911

by John Nies

(John Nies served in the 2^nd MI Cavalry, Co. D)

According to my promise, I herewith give you some details of my observations while traveling through the southern states.

I arrived at Strawberry Plains, Knoxville and Ashville, Tennessee, and as I went farther south I became more interested in the area. The train passed by Andersonville, Ga., where the bulk of the Federal prisoners were kept during Feb. 1864 to April 1865. I am particularly interested in that prison from the fact that one of my dear comrades, Gerrit Van Halteren, whom I had ordered to guard the highway to keep us from being surprised by the Confederates while we were feeding our horses, disappeared here. He went, and after the horses were fed, I started to recall him. After riding one-half mile, I did not find him at his post, and on my return to the camp, I found myself cut off by Confederates. They jumped out of a piece of woods in front of me, telling me to surrender. Upon my refusal, then all three shot at me. My comrade, Gerrit Van Halteren, was never heard of since. The memory of the above incident was the reason why I felt so much interest in that prison yard. I wanted to see if I could find any record of him.

When I got off at Andersonville, a population of about 250, I met a man who is installed by the National Relief Corps. He volunteered to get his buggy and show me all the particulars about the cemetery and also the Confederate fortifications, which offer I readily accepted. When ready to leave, he insisted upon my taking supper with him. For all his services he charged me a very moderate fee.

The Federal cemetery and stockade are on the opposite side of the village. The stockade consists of only 27 acres on which at one time 52,345 Federal soldiers were imprisoned, of which 13,900 were buried during the existence of the stockade. In the month of August 1864 there were 31,693 prisoners and 3,076 of these were buried during that month. The guide informed me, himself having been a prisoner there, that soldiers, who were ailing and not expected to live, were piled lengthwise on the wagon and buried with the dead. A small creek running along the fortification and through the stockade was polluted by the excretions from the Confederate guards. The water became undrinkable; lamentations were sent to heaven. During a heavy rainstorm, a splendid spring of living water burst out of a red clay bank and gave the prisoners relief. This spring is there this day, being built up with marble slabs and called Providence Spring.

For further investigation I obtained leave from the government office to look over the records, but could not find the name of Gerrit Van Halteren. There were many graves

there that were marked unknown. Capt. Wirty, commander of the Confederate guard, detailed a Federal soldier to record the dead; said soldier also kept a private record for himself, which he turned over to the general government. The cemetery has many a stately monument and is kept in splendid condition by the government.

When in North Carolina, I took a trip to the Yankee cemetery, (that is what they called it there) a place by the name of Salisbury, which is also kept in first class shape by the government.

In this cemetery, soldiers are buried side by side, as at Andersonville. Each grave has a stone marker, the total number of 12,115, out of which only 90 are known. The public record also failed to disclose the name of Gerrit Van Halteren.

(Gerrit Van Halteren enlisted in the 2^nd MI Calvalry, Co. D on August 12, 1862, for 3 years, age 18. Military records state that he was taken prisoner at Burnt Church, GA, on May 30, 1864. It was reported that he died of disease in Andersonville Prison.)