My Great Grandfather Survived Andersonville Prison©

It is interesting how people connect across the miles as proven the other day when I received a telephone call from Charles Slater of Margaretville, NY.  He asked me to write about his great grandfather, Andrew J. Phillhour, who at the young age of 21 joined the Union army on August 21^st1861 and eventually survived Andersonville Prison.

Andrew’s was assigned to the 2^ndregiment in Company C and he immediately went into the battle of Stone’s River.  1862 found Andrew fighting in Murfreesboro, TN in the Battle of Stones Riveror Second Battle of Murfreesboro (in the South, simply the Battle of Murfreesboro), was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee.

 During his active duty time he was in the Atlanta campaign and Sherman’s march to the sea.   During this march, General Sherman believed that he and he alone could bring the Civil War to an end if only he could decimate the Rebel cause by striking out and burning the Confederacy and this reasoning was correct regardless of the many cattle calls and the constant bantering that General Sherman received from both sides. The South was brought to its knees and although this was the inevitability of the entire war as of 1864 and General Sherman’s brutal slash and burn policy as he trampled the Confederacy all the way to the sea was truly the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.

Andrewwas active in the Caroline campaign, he was with Andrew’s Raiders in TN, Bentonville battle and then eventually captured at the battle of Chickamauga.  On September 21^st1863he was sent to Libby prison and then sent on to the infamous Andersonville prison in Sumter County, GA, where he was until June 1864.

The prison built on 16.5 acres was originally was designed and built to hold 10,000 prisoners.  However, the “guestimate” of prisoners soon proved wrong and the holding area soon grew to house 20,000 prisoners thus becoming so overcrowded that the prison was extended on another 10 acres and soon the prison population grew to 33,000 and this was the breeding ground for death as proven by the graves of 13,000 Union soldiers eventually buried there.

Andrew Phillhour was one of the lucky ones when he was paroled to General Robert E. Lee because of the overcrowding and eventually he was released and sent home for discharge in June of 1864.  Andrew as awarded the GAR (Grand American Republic) medal for his service to the Union Army.

Upon leaving Andrew was given the bible of his friend, David A. Rapp, who died in the Andersonville prison.  He agreed to take it to Rapp’s home in Ohio and give to Rapp’s sister.  Andrew fell in love with the sister Mary Rapp and married her and they went to live in Sheldon MO where he is now buried.   Andrew was a barber and not much can be found about him or what he did over the next 50 years except that he died in his mid 70’s.  I did locate what I think is his tombstone and it can be viewed at this link.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/civilwar_veterans_tombstones/2962925548/

In today’s world of misconstrued ideas of hero’s and especially our politician’s lack of respect for our veteran’s and their needs, except in the time they need them to send them into places that serve their political and their lobbyist’s financial gain it is indeed a pleasure to put a little information back onto the internet to let the world know a little about what Andrew J. Phillhour gave to his country during 3+ years of his young life.

Andrew thanks for all you did for this country.