program. today we're going to talk with professor lesley gordon about other events. but for now we go to andersonville at the prison site.

good afternoon. if you can go ahead and take your seats, we'll get started.

good afternoon again. i'd like to take this opportunity to thank the maneuver center of excellence brass quintet for their musical selections. their music continues to enhance our programs each year. [ applause ] on behalf of the national park service, i welcome you to andersonville national historic site and to andersonville national cemetery. my name is charles cellars and as the park superintendent i have the honor and privilege of serving today as the master of ceremonies. this weekend is the capstone event of the 150th anniversary of camp sumter military prison called andersonville. many of you have traveled hundreds of miles to join us today and on behalf of the park we sincerely thank you for being here. i invite you to stand as the georgia army national guard

advanced the color. after the colors are posted, please follow me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. will you please stand. please join me in the pledge of allegiance.

i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

>> please be seated. we now turn our attention to the arrival of the ceremonial casket escorted by georgia state bag piper dan bray, deputies from the hall county georgia sheriff's office and members of the united states army, navy and marines.

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>> you may be seated. i would now like to invite to the podium reverend frederick a. buechner director at calvary episcopal church. his church was founded the same year that andersonville opened. reverend buechner will open our service with an invocation. >> let us pray. remember in thy kingdom, our god, those who laid their lives

down for their friends. grant them rest in the land of the living, in the joy of paradise, whence all pain and grief have gone away. shed upon them the light of thy count nance. grant that they may ma be numbered among the host of think redeemed, going forth conquering and conquer with thee their ever lasting, lord. this day oh lord to our prayers where we beseech thy mercy for the souls of think service who thou have biden to leave this world to thou hallowed place. grant them place in think kingdom of peace and light. amen. >> thank you reverend buechner. for the prisoners at andersonville, prayers provided comfort, community and sometimes

even solutions. the story of providence springs is an ongoing testament to man's belief in greater things. prisoners also believed in the power of words, whether through letters from home or their own reflections. here to share his own words, i would like to introduce judson mitcham, poet laureate of georgia. >> what an honor it is to be here. prayer at andersonville 2015. every prayer once prayed here is still in the air. but there is also that old whine of astonishment caught in the throat. so who are we to have gathered here. even in praise, even humbled by

the blood of our inheritance could we ever be too sure what history is good for. history is what we are. creatures made of time and story, the clay of the bible, fired and shaped into brittle jars that hold our days. and today we are in our element out in these fields of wounding stillness at the end of summer where we stroll as freely as we choose down clean lanes of grass and stone. we can take our time and try to understand what we will never understand. but one measure of our days has commanded us to fall in and to stand at attention, to form up where the stockade swarmed.

and groaned a septic mud, the soldiers prayed to god for the end of. the dusk and the sunrise are still inside us. and the years go on and we touch them one by one. and today they are the strange beads of a prison rosary, a ruined boot lace tied in knots. let us go on then and say amen to the weapons at our feet, blades of grass. the beautiful uncut hair of graves. amen to the night that takes up its position. amen to the sun that advances through the risen dust. with or without us. whatever we believe. everywhere now in this nation of old sorrows and new, even trembling with the past, here at andersonville we are suffering from what we have forgotten. tell us again, if you can, how

to praise and how to grieve and how to witness. give us this day, for give us our trespasses. the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. but time and chance happen to them all. turn you to the strong hold yea prisoners of hope. [ applause ] >> thank you, mr. mitcham. the civil war was view by many as the second american revolution. in honor of those who chose to fight for freedom, the maneuver center of excellence brass quintet will play the american revolutionary war medley. ♪

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♪ [ applause ] >> although the prison site was open only a short time, its impact has been felt throughout generations. for a brief history, i am pleased to introduce dr. lesley gordon from the university of akron.

>> thank you. it's a privilege to be here with y'all today. on may 3rd and 4th, some 400 members of the 16th connecticut infantry regiment entered andersonville prison. this particular regiment which had seen hard fighting, was captured at the battle of plymouth on april 20th. entering the stockade here, many reflect in their diaries. sergeant kellogg wrote, >> our hearts failed us as we saw what used to be men, now nothing but mere skeletons with covered with filth and vermin. god protect us.

he alone can bring us out of this awful mess. private george chipman knew death stocked close. he wrote, it is a dirty, filthy place. a large number die here daily. sergeant oliver gates was convinced it would prove, the hardest trial of my life, although i have faced death in many forms. the confederacy erected andersonville here near to small town of anderson, georgia to handle the growing number of captives overwhelming richmond's prisons. after the break down of the cartel system. about the time the 16th arrived here in early may 1864, just over 12,000 inmates crowded into this open air stockade. by the time andersonville would close its gates for good, 45,000 union soldiers were imprisoned

here. and as we know today, nearly 13,000 of them made andersonville their final resting place of those 400 of the 16th that entered here, about 100 of them would die. today we come here to commemorate those deaths for this funeral of 13,000. prisoners died as robert kellogg described not in the heat and excitement of the battle but in a loneliness of a multitude with an comrade only at their side and under a hostile flag. members of the 16th connecticut suffered from exposure, contagious disease, lack of adequate sanitary facilities, tainted water, improper diet and insufficient medical care. diarrhea, dysentery and scurvy tormented the inmates.

all those these soldiers had endured combat, death this prison was something entirely new. general champlin reflected, men die here very fast. just over a week later he likened the constant death to the falling leaves in autumn. on july 20th, sergeant oliver gates counted 11 dead since they arrived on that may day. and he wrote more than ever died in camps since he left home. here we get nothing to eat and no care. prisoners were dying in their tents, in the open sun, anywhere and everywhere. with little to do except focus on the suffering, the impact of so much death, especially this kind of death, unheroic, helpless was profound for those who did survive. by mid august, one sergeant wrote in his diary that he scarcely knew what to write

the mortality rate is horrible. the weather is unbearable and men's hearts are sinking. by mid august, sergeant henry savage wrote almost every day someone in our regiment dies. we're certainly warned to be prepared. some days one looks forward and wonders whose turn will come next. the pace of death was shocking. in may leyland barlow believed quote, one man dies every hour. one estimated that prisoners were dying at a late of 45 a day. barlow wrote, we are falling like leaves in the august wind. ira forbes counted 29 dead from the regiment. he said how fast we are passing away. combat seemed far preferable than imprisonment. barely two weeks into his captivity, ira forbes wrote it would be the source of

unspeakable happiness for mow to return to the army and again fight beneath our glorious banner. it seemed so unmanly for them to be so helpless. as robert kellogg explained, quote, they do not ask to be free from participation in the strife but they long to walk forth from their cankerous dens even though it may be to meet the sulfurous smoke in the cannon in t the contested battle because there at least would be glorious action. imprisonment was nothing like these men has experienced. was something that would haunt them. on the second day of his incarceration, iran forbes visited one of the hospitals and was deeply shaken by what he saw. i have seen them at the execution. i have seen them in a condition so heart rendering. i've never seen them in such a condition so heart rendering as

this. as the weeks changed to months and no exchange came, it was astonishing how much suffering the prisoners here witnessed and endured. forbes was convinced no other place would compare to the misery and destitution of andersonville. forbes wrote, it does seem that men cannot suffer more than they do in here. like most civil war soldiers and their families, members of the 16th connecticut were concerned that they die a good death and have some sort of appropriate christian service before their removal from the pen despite the horrific conditions that surrounded them. forbes wrote, generally there camp there are no religious services held at the death of the men. a fact that reflects great disgrace upon the authorities in charge of the prisoners. oliver gates was astounded to observe, when a man dies here, he's carried out on a stretcher just as he dies and put in the

dead house. and when they're ready to put them on the wagon, they cart them to the burying ground for each man, throw him in as you would a dog and cover him up without any ceremony. except one would curse him for dying so soon. one evening, forbes came upon a dying prisoner who had collapsed on the ground near the brook. he reflected, who knows but this man had a loving family at home who may never know his sad end. they may hear that he died in prison down in georgia. that will be all. but no one outside of the den will understand one half of the suffering that occurs here. but i suppose it is better. years after the war it was a point of pride among members of the 16th that no member of the regiment lacked what they call reverent burial. forbes explained the question of a christian burial was raised by members of the 16th at the prison at the first death that occurred. i was impossible for the members of the deceased comrades to take the body outside.ty

thus, a detail of buriers could be provided. even religious ceremonies of any kind was not to be thought of. it was decided that script churl reading over the body of the man in the regiment would be held. forbes insisted that no member of the 16th that died here was deprived of the last tribute, what he called christian comradeship. certainly some p.o.w.s in the regiment, as did other prisoners faltered and gave in to december -- despair. some accepted parole to get better food and escape from the pen. those who did not die survived to face more imprisonment in charleston or florence before exchange finally and mercifully came. released prisoners late in 1864 and early 1865 went to camp parole in annapolis, maryland and then they were furloughed

before returning to service. men from the 16th connecticut arrived here where they found themselves in a limbo waiting to be formally exchanged before they commenced their furloughs. worn corporal woodford notified his family that he was safe and alive. i feel thankful to my heavenly father that he had snatched me as i have reason to think from the jaws of death. he was convinced that in a few more weeks he would have perished. private lewis holcomb was paroled and he came home, in the words of his family, a wreck. he was so weak and starved that that he could hardly turn in his bed. holcomb's health seemed to improve. by april he returned to the regiment. however he was not fully recovered and on may 19th, 1856 he entered a military hospital in fairfax, virginia where he died at the age of 24.

his family in new england never heard from him again. wallace woodford successfully reached his home. but his body was so weakened by his imprisonment that he died within a week of his arrival. his gravestone reads, eight month to suffer in rebel prisons, he came home to die. he was 22 years old. for others their imprisonment left their health shattered. oliver gates, a mason by trade, after the war resumed to his prewar occupation, he almost severed his left arm. unable to do manual labor, he lived for the next ten years mainly off his modest disability pension from the u.s. government. from the lingering effects of rheumatism and disease of the eyes he contracted while if prison here. another member settled home in connecticut, he married, had two daughters. but his health was shattered from his imprisonment here.

he set out west to try afresh. he and his wife were living in lansing, iowa when he died at the age of 35. he's buried in his hometown, although a public plea was made that his name be added to the civil war monument as he had been a faithful soldier and contracted disease from here at andersonville. it was never added to that monument. there's a number of the veterans who are diagnosed as insane and consigned to state institution. ira force who's credited for helping to save the regiment's colors at plymouth was committed to the hard forth retreat for the insane where he died at the age of 68. in 1906 when veterans of the 16th helped to dedicate their state's monument here at andersonville, robert kellogg

gave a short address, stressing his fellow prisoners' patriotism and loyalty. he didn't come here to sensor those p.o.w.s who broke and accepted confederate paroles. hes comments had -- his comrades had. and said his focus was on healing and commemoration -- instead, his focus was on healing and commemoration. this event today provides us with the opportunity to remember those who died here, but also, to remember that even for the many survivors, their ordeal did not end here. theirtruggle to resume civilian lives. they suffered difficult times. they sought to construct a new heroic narrative. quoted here,ords

we hear how deeply these pows the dead ensure that here be remembered. it is important to recognize that their mother captivity left lasting scars. thank you. [applause] mr. sellars: thank you, dr. gordon. way to goe is no easy from captivity to one of our nations most beloved songs, it its music and lyric of both the possibilities of a unified nation. we now present, "america the beautiful." ♪

[applause] mr. sellars: over 14 months, the united states soldiers, sailors, marines, and civilians were held captive here at andersonville. their memories honored by the reathes during patriotic ceremonies throughout

the nation. wreath onsenting the armyf of the united states command major stringfield.

mr. sellars: presenting a wreath on behalf of the united states navy, logistic specialist third class justin logan, hospital m cole.ond classed amon

mr. sellars: presenting a r wreathe on behalf of the marine admiral.rgeant and mr. sellars: presenting a wreath

on behalf of civilians, national park service regional director sherry fields and mattie and michael sellars. mr. sellars: thank you. we would also like to acknowledge the additional wreaths that have been

placed here today from the descendent organizations and the american prisoners of war. [applause] now, it is my great pleasure to induce our keynote speaker, sergeant major of the army, daniel. [applause] sergeant major dailey: it is a great day to be a soldier. ladies and gentlemen, welcome. i am honored to be heard today. as a history major, i very excited about the opportunity to talk about what history teaches .s about ourselves history tends to remember the dates, the battles, the victories. it lost the winners -- lauds the

winners. there are some places on the battlefield where dates and , arees, winners and losers matters of inconsequence. is thee places, survival only place of magnitude. this place, this ground we walk on today, is such a place. months ateriod of 14 camp sumter, not far from orersonville, nearly 13,000, 20% of the 45,000 enlisted union soldiers, who were here, confined on these grounds, died here. andersonville is a place where survival was against the odds for those who entered the stockades. those who were blessed to leave did not have long in the world due to the disease that went

unchecked here. tragedy, this humanitarian disaster, of insufficient food, shelter, and infamous inis now our civil war narrative. what i will remember today, and what i ask you to remember are the lives that lived before and as little -- andersonville, the lives lived after andersonville, and the lessons learned. in my attempt to do justice to the 45,000 stories of the prisoners, i will share the story of just one of them. iis u.s. soldier and p.o.w. highlight today is no better or worse than any other. to those dedicated family members who are here today, please accept my sincere apology to not have enough time to tell

each of every story of them. i wish i could. just know, you are there voice, and our nation appreciates you for keeping their chronicles alive. without you, america would be a place defined by numbers or markers on a map, where shells drop and men are varied. instead, our nations history is allof men and women of backgrounds, both successful and unsuccessful, who came together with their own dreams to build a place for us to endeavor, as we may. with success at times and with failure at others. sometimes, through these stories, we get a glimpse of someone's life that enriches our

own immeasurably. they make our nation great. individuals, i wanted just to you, was born and bred in my home state of pennsylvania. it was 1863. kepart andca cap enlists in the union army. he was already 31 years old with hazel eyes and a dark complexion and our hair. i'm quite sure he was a handsome man. it is hard to know why a man of his age and with the family would decide to enlist, even if it was to be part of the famed 13th regimen, of which he served. mr. bill miller ponders the same question.

why would his great-great-grandfather choose to enter the war with the family to care for. why did he serve? perhaps it was because the union victory at gettysburg, a few short months before, had galvanized enlistment among men and women in the north. perhaps it was because he felt a againstto fight slavery. perhaps it was because the lisbon bounty, a sizable amount, would do his family well in a time of need. perhaps mr. miller will never know what prompted his great great granddad to prompt this to join this-- brotherhood. i know that with his persistence -- without his persistence, we would have never known this tale , nor how his existence on this earth created a family of future soldiers. being o invention of the anon

did researchmiller's through the national archives to uncover archives to pay a portrait of his ancestor. like a puzzle, piece after piece, perfectly placed, these facts and figures help contribute to our now intimate, and personal, glimpse into a shared national history that comes directly from the genealogy of many family trees. miller was himself a volunteer soldier. he chose to serve and a time of war, despite being a student at .enn state university as he turned back the pages of american history, he learned how improbable his existence was, and yet, he stands amongst us today to share the unlikely yarn . you see, little did he know that in the course of just one year,

fight, benlist, captured at st. mary's church prisonginia, survived , and be relocated to andersonville, and diet of dysentery.ie , his wife he know would succumb to the pressures of providing and caring for his for girls, and make the unimaginable choice of placing orphanage of veterans. little did he know that despite all that was stacked against their success, these girls would marry, their children, and contribute to the american story .n their own, unique ways one of those unlikely children born to one of those girls would be the grandparent of my new friend, bill miller. he and his two brothers all served our nation. this is a story of family, of

resilience, of selfless service and sacrifice. the sergeant story is the story of america. this chronicle is just one of 45,000 stories of men that endured this place of epic tragedy. it is the story of the lives they carried on afterwards. it is also the story of the 13,000 souls that never left this place, the battles they fought in, the dates entered into their letters, and the diaries of the generals who commanded them are of no magnitude in this hallowed ground at andersonville. why they chose to serve in a time of war. today, there are approximately one million americans in the u.s. army. , yet, only about 1% of the

population of this great nation will ever choose to serve. these men of andersonville were of a special breed. they were men that knew full well the consequences of their actions. for their own personal reasons, they did what few others could, do.would they served. it is this brotherhood that i'm so honored to represent here today. a brotherhood that bonds us across centuries, in life-and-death. it bonds us in history. we, who served today, are following in the footsteps of the men who injured here at andersonville. through 14 years of war on two fronts, today, still, we take the example and use it as our , noiration to fight on matter the circumstances. banner, white, and blue of the united states of america,

and the black and white flag that honors our pows fly ase-by-side together today we commemorate a nation, and a war, the change our nation. these flags honor the men of men andville and the women in the audience today who have suffered being a prisoner of war on foreign land. in vietnam, korea, cambodia, and so many places. it teaches the army much about our enemy, and the world, much of our nation's values. what we have undoubtedly learned from the disaster at andersonville is the humane treatment of pows to finds are

national identity and reiterates our army values by ensuring that dignity and respect is paid to all enemy combatant. we have also learned how precious freedom is. cost.reedom always has a the cost is paid by men and women, men and women who are willing to endure torture, knowledge or should loneliness, despair, and even death in the .ursuit of freedom history tends to remember the dates. it remembers the battles of the victories. victories.e are some places on the battlefield where dates and battles, winners and l losers are matters of an consequence. in these places, survival is the only thing of magnitude. the men of andersonville have survived. they have survived 150 years of what makes our nation great, the american people. as i conclude with you today, my

hope is for the 13,000 souls lost here to rest in peace. one aowledge sacrifice prosperous world in an ever evolving nation. and legacy lives on in the heartbeats of their descendents, and the democratic spirit they inspire in those who follow in their footsteps. although tragic, their sacrifice and service paves the way for us to become a great nation. the greatest nation in the world has ever known. the united states of america. it is a great day to be a soldier, and i am honored and privileged that these enlisted men gave me that opportunity. god bless them, not bless their families. godbless their legacy, bless our pows and mia past and present, god bless this great state of georgia, and god bless the united states of america. [applause]

sgt. maj. dailey: please join me and stand for military honors. [drumroll]

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at this time, i would like to invite reverend buckner to the podium to give a an addiction. -- a benediction. let us pray.ner: remember, oh lord, we beseech the. the souls of them that have kept the faith, those who we remember and those we were member not. and grant them rest in the land of the living and the joy of paradise where all pain and grief have fled away, for the light of thy countenance shine

is forever, and guide in peace the end of our lives oh lord, when that will, and as that will , that we may enter the gate and dwell in that house where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light, no noise nor silence, but one equal music. no fears, no hoax, but one equal possession. no end nor beginning, but one equal eternity in the habitations of thy majesty and glory, world without end. and unto god's gracious mercy and protection, we commit ourselves and those near and dear to us. the lord bless us and keep us. the lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and fill us with his piece. both this day, and evermore.

amen. rest internal grant to them, lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. amen. mr. sellars: at this time i would like to knowledge largest , mr. kenneth cut from the congressman's office. [applause] mr. sellars: i would like to invite you to stand once again, this time, as the georgia army national guard presents the colors for a second time, and please remain standing.

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mr. sellars: you may be seated. throughout the service, the united states flag stands prominently at the center of the national cemetery as set at half staff in mournfully knowledge meant of these losses. retired brew deal general robert corner him has performed the duty of raising the flag to full staff. his honors the service of medical staff throughout american military history, and echoes the role at the famous nurse clara barton played in raising a flag on the spot in august of 1865. conclusion, i want to thank the military representatives for supporting this event. i also want to thank the public for their continual support in our national parks. we are pleased to consider this our first centennial event for

andersonville national historic site. day will mark the 100 earth of the founding of the national park service, and across the country, our 408 sites will be celebrating all year long. , andvite you to join us find your part. we also hopes that one of the parks you find will be andersonville. thank you. [applause]