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Hello Georgia: an unforgettable experience
The hell of war while prisoner in Andersonville
Somebody had to pay. The cold
indignation and merciless anger
of the northern people had
reached the point of explosion;
on Nov. 10, 1865, Captain
Henry Wirz was hanged in
Washington, D. C.
Wirz, a native of Zurich,
Switzerland, had joined the
Confederate army at the out
break of the war, had worked his
way up through the ranks, and
was appointed commandant of
the Confederate stockade at
Andersonville, Ga. He was
charged with a conspiracy with
other officers, of impairing the
health of Union prisoners-of
war, of 13 counts of murder.
Despite his claim of innocence,
and the fact that no such con
spiracy ever existed, Wirz was
found guilty by a military com
mission. He paid with his life.
In the north, Wirz was
described by newspapers as
“The Fiend of Andersonville,”
and a monster; but in 1905, the
Georgia Division of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy
voted to erect a monument to the
memory of Captain Wirz.
Then controversy came.
Attempts to stop the project
were finally overcome, and in
1909, a 45-foot high oblisk shaft
with inscriptions on four sides
honoring Wirz was erected in
Andersonville “To rescue his
name from the stigma attached
to it by embittered prejudice.”
Wirz was the only southern
soldier to be charged by the
Union government with a
wartime offense, and the first
man in American history to be
tried and convicted by a military
court for a war crime.
Andersonville is a word which
once made brave men shudder,
their lips pale with fear, and
their heart skip a beat; it is a vil
lage in Sumter County, south
west Georgia, the site of the
largest and most notorious
stockades of the War Between
Cultural events
Animal influences in art
Animals provide the common
inspiration for the richly diverse
artistic expression in “Animal
Influences: Ceramic Art &
Drawings by Ron Meyers, Rich
Panico and Ted Saupe,” which
will be on exhibit from Feb. 16
through March 30 at
Gainesville College. Personal
and historical interpretations
combine to create unique, one
of-a-kind ceramics and draw
ings. Mark your calendar for a
gallery talk and opening recep
tion to be held Thursday, Feb.
19, at 11 a.m.
“A Midsummer Night’s
Dream”
...is being presented by The
Shakespeare Tavern through
Jan. 31. Performances are
Thursdays through Saturdays at
7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30
p.m. Tickets range from sll to
$19.50. A British Pub-style din
ner is available 45 minutes prior
to show time. For more infor
mation, call (404) 874-5299.
Auditions
...for “Fallen Angels” will be
held Tuesday, Jan. 20 and
Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 7-9
p.m. at the Village Playhouses
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103 Mountain View Dr., Suite 1 30 Industrial Park Dr., Suite 113
(770) 887-0900 (706)216-6064
the States.
At one short period of time
during the war the 30-acre open
prison enclosure held over
37,000 prisoners. Os the total of
49,485 northern prisoners-of
war confined there between
November 1863 till the end of
the war in May 1865, nearly
13,000 died of disease, exposure
and malnutrition and were
buried in the adjoining prison
cemetery.
Originally and officially
named, Fort Sumter, the
Andersonville prison contained
only enlisted Federal prisoners;
Federal officers were held in a
similar, though smaller stockade
in Macon. Andersonville was
typical of other camps in South
Carolina and coastal Georgia.
The Andersonville stockade
was developed hurriedly. In the
early days of the war, the
Confederates held Federal pris
oners in or near Richmond, Va.;
but pressure on the city’s dwin
dling food supply, and the ever
present danger of a POW insur
rection or outbreak, which might
threaten the safety of the
Confederate capital city, led
President Jefferson Davis to
establish the prison in Georgia.
Prisoners came pouring into
Andersonville in such numbers
that time was not allowed for the
building of permanent barracks
or for the arrangement of cook
ing facilities. There were no
hospitals.
Then during the duress of the
war, when Confederate losses
were high, supplies were cut off,
and the south was crippled with
the shipping blockade, all per
sonnel, including the
Confederates at Andersonville,
suffered.
The Confederacy, near the
point of collapse at the time of
Andersonville’s greatest dis
tress, were barely able to pro
vide food and supplies to its
own troops and citizens. It is no
of Roswell, 617 Holcomb
Bridge Road in Roswell.
Auditioners will do cold read
ings from the script. The cast
consists of three men and three
women who range in age from
25 to 35. No appointment is
necessary. For more informa
tion, call (770) 998-3526.
“Aria for an Endangered
Species”
...will be presented by the
Core Performance Company
and Dancers Collective on Jan.
30 and 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Rialto Center for Performing
Arts. The music of Yoko Ono
and the choreography of Ellen
Bromberg are featured. For
more information, call (404)
233-7600.
“Steel Magnolias”
...will run through Feb. 21 at
the Village Playhouses of
Roswell. Tickets range from $9
to sl3. For more information,
call (770) 998-3526.
Penguin Stories and Crafts
...will be held for preschoolers
on Monday and Tuesday, Jan.
19 and 20, at 10 a.m. at Hobbit
Hall Children’s Bookstore.
Admission is free. For more
wonder that death and starvation
prevailed at Andersonville.
The death rate from disease,
malnutrition and exposure was
high, but according to official
historical documents, the rate
was 3 percent higher in the
Federal prisons of the north.
During the 19705, the people
of Andersonville, led by the
Andersonville Guild, began
restoration of the town to wel
come the growing world wide
interest in this city of unique
history.
A welcome center and museum
were fashioned out of the old
railroad depot. This was appro
priate, since the town derived its
name from the original
“Andersonville Station.”
The site now contains a five
acre pioneer farm complete with
a log cabin furnished with 1860 s
decor. Outside there is a grist
mill, several log farms and a
sugar cane mill. To capture the
climate of the Civil War, the
town has installed old-fashioned
street lights.
During the 1978 Andersonville
Historic Fair, the Sumter Players
did a performance of The
Andersonville Trial, the story of
the sensational trial of Captain
Wirz. Andersonville Historic
Site today stands as a memorial
to all Americans who have been
held as prisoners-of-war. There
you will find graphic exhibits
will find graphic exhibits which
interpret the suffering of those
incarcerated there.
Andersonville National
Historic Site is unique in the
National Park System of the
United States as the only park to
serve as a memorial to all
Americans ever held as prison
ers of war. The Congressional
purpose of the park in authoriz
ing legislation is “to provide an
understanding of the overall
prisoner-of-war camps in histo
ry, to commemorate the sacri
fice.of Americans who lost their
information,’call (770) 587-
0907.
Computer Art
...by David Koffman, Mike
Landers and Tim Nackashi will
be on exhibit through Feb. 9 at
Gainesville College. Three
approaches to creating art using
high-end, three-dimensional
computer graphics are the focus
of the exhibit. For more infor
mation, call (770)718-3865.
New Black Playwrights
Festival
Auditions are now being held
for participation in the 1998
festival. Participation requires
an eight-month commitment,
from February to September.
Submit a head shot and resume
or letter of interest to Leesa
Carter, Managing Director,
Actor’s Express, 887 W.
Marietta St., Suite JlO7,
Atlanta, Ga. 30318.
“Marriage Traditions
through the Ages”
...will be on exhibit Tuesdays
through Saturdays through May
30, at the Crawford Long
Museum. Marriage customs and
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lives in such camps and to pre
serve the monuments located”
within the site National attention
to Andersonville has also come
through the recent movie,
Andersonville, seen by millions.
The first time I heard of
Andersonville was in a sermon
preached by Billy Graham. He
told the story of Providence
Spring, and described it as a
miracle of Divine mercy. The
streams within the stockade
were polluted; men were dying
by the hundreds. In the late
night hours of Aug. 9, 1864, 14
parched and feeble prisoners
began to pray to God for water
to slake their tormenting thirst.
Then suddenly a flash of light
ning smote a granite boulder,
and there gushed forth a stream
of pure, cool water. This spring
has never stopped flowing from
that night till now. It is there for
all the world to see.
I became intrigued by this
story. Finally, our family visited
Andersonville. We saw the
spring, beautifully enclosed in
the Providence Spring House,
built by the Woman’s Relief
Corps, the national auxiliary of
the Grand Army of the
Republic, a Union veterans
organization.
Viewing this imposing stone
structure, with its spring flowing
into a basin, with a blend of
light and shadows highlighting
its presence, I felt as though I
was standing in a holy place,
and I saw history as it happened.
I was grateful to the
Providence which binds the rest
less wave and makes wars to
cease.
laws, wedding clothing and
other historical records will be
on display. Traditional toys and
commemorative items are avail
able in the museum shop -
many for less than $5. For more
information, call (706) 367;
5307.
Picasso: Masterworks
...from the Museum of Modern
Art, will be exhibited at the
High Museum of Art through
Feb. 15. This is the first major
showing of the works of the
artist in the southeastern United
States. For information about
hours and admission fees, call
the museum at (404) 733-
HIGH.
“The Magician’s Nephew”
...will run through Feb. 21 at
the Village Playhouses of
Roswell. Performances will be
held Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 3
p.m. Day-time performances are
available for school groups
from Jan. 20 through Feb. 13, at
10 a.m. Tuesday through
Friday. Tickets are $6 in
advance and $8 at the door. For
more information, call (770)
998-3526.
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, January 18,1998 I
World Religion Days
talks focus on unity
1
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
A series of informal public
talks in the next three weeks will
be the focus of the World
Religion Day observance by the
Baha’is of Forsyth County.
The public talks will take place
on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23
and 24, and Friday, Feb. 6. The
talks will focus on the unity of
religion and begin at 7:30 p.m.
each evening. For the locations
of the events, please call (770)
781-8932.
World Religion Day was initi
ated in 1950 by the national
administrative body of the
Baha’is of the United States. It is
observed on the third Sunday in
January (Sun., Jan. 18 this year)
by Baha’is in the United States,
and increasingly by people
around the globe.
Baha’is celebrate the day by
hosting discussions, conferences,
and other events which foster
understanding and communica
tion between the followers of all
religions. Celebration of World
Religion Day has spread to many
Bird Fair scheduled
The Aiken Bird Club will be
sponsoring another Bird Fair in
February of 1998 at Huricane
Central in Aiken, S.C. The club
was established in 1991 by a hand
ful of pet bird owners that were
concerned about the well being of
their pets and the more complex
issues of conservation and study of
these birds in their native habitats
around the world. Our club pro
motes education, conservation and
research that benefits pet birds and
their wild cousins around the
world. The club operates as a not
for profit organization and donates
all proceeds from club activities to
the above mentioned causes.
This seasons bird fair, to be held
Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 will mark yet
another milestone in club fundrais
ing efforts. Past bird fairs have
enabled the club to pursue our
goals of assisting with avicultural
research and education projects.
Last year a donation to the
Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia,
South Carolina provided a much
needed Grumbach commercial
incubator, closed circuit video
monitoring equipment and even a
small flock of African finch-like
birds called Oriental White Eyes.
The White Eyes are a species of
birds native to certain parts of
Africa; that in their native habitats
are today threatened. The zoo
plans to create an exhibit for the
public to see these birds as they
live in their native surroundings.
The incubator and video equip
ment will be used to enhance the
current breeding efforts going on
behind the scenes at the zoo. It is
donations like these that make the
fair worth while. Without these
donations the zoo’s budget would
not allow for these much needed
items at this time. Furthermore
donations received by the
University of Georgia have helped
with research costs that allow
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other countries. In 1985, the
government of Sri Lanka issued ‘
a postage stamp in commemora- ' "
tion of the day. ( '
The purpose of World Religion
Day is to call attention to the
harmony of spiritual principles,
the oneness of the world’s reli
gions and to emphasize that'
world religion is the motivating
force for world unity. As stated
in Baha’i scripture “...religion
should be the cause of love and
agreement, a bond to unify al)
mankind, for it is a message of
peace and good-will to man from
God.”
Baha’u’llah, Prophet-Founder L'
of the Baha’i Faith, taught all ’
true religion came from one
source through successive mes- ' ’
sengers which have included
Abraham, Moses, Christ,
Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster,
Muhammad and the Bab.
“Religion is the greatest of all
means for the establishment of
order in the world and for the
peaceful contentment of all that
dwell therein,” Baha’i writings
say.
avian veterinarians to study health
concerns of birds, this research not
only benefits pet birds but also the
commercial poultry industry as
well. Other donations are given to
worldwide conservation groups to
provide the tools for protecting
these beautiful birds in their native
lands.
These two-day events will pro
vide the public a chance to see and
purchase Exotic Pet Birds, cages, •
various bird feeds and other Sup
plies for the hobby of pet bird
keeping and breeding.
The fair will host approximately
100 vendors from all over the U.S.
displaying and selling exotic pet
birds, bird foods and supplies and
other avicultural equipment. A
large raffle table will be at the
event with numerous prizes being
given away throughout the day
including pet birds, cages and sup
plies. Food and refreshments will
be available. All proceeds from
this event are donated to avian
research, education and conserva
tion of parrots in their native coun
tries.
The fair will be held Saturday, 1
Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and
Sunday, Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. - 5 '
p.m.
Vendor tables will be SSO per
table prior to the fair. All tables
after Feb. 1 will be sold for S6O.
Pre-payment will ensure your spot
on fair-day. Although the *
Exhibition Hall is very large “and'
spacious it is imperative that the
Fair Committee have your early
registration to plan for the required
amount of tables to provide. Aiken '
Bird Club will only provide the
amount of tables that are pre-regis
tered. Purchasing of tables on the
Fair Day will be strictly first come
first serve until no tables are avail
able.
The fair will cost $2 adults and
children under 12 are free. -
PAGE 3B