Bone Ring Carved at Andersonville Prison / SOLD
Carved bone ring with an old, attached paper tag in ink that reads “made by a Union prisoner at Andersonville 1864”. The ring comes displayed with a page from the United States Sanitary Commission Bulletin that has a map of Andersonville. The prison at Andersonville (officially known as Camp Sumter) was created in February 1864 and served until April 1865. The site was commanded by Captain Henry Wirz, who was tried and executed after the war for war crimes. It was overcrowded to four times its capacity, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 died. The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea and dysentery.
Comes housed in a display case with velvet backing and descriptive card.
Inventory Number: PER 366 / SOLD