The Raiders' Graves

At Andersonville, where only enlisted soldiers were buried and no Union officers were present to maintain order, life in the prison pen descended into anarchy. A gang known as the Raiders roamed the yard bullying, robbing, and even murdering other prisoners. With the blessing of Commandant Wirz, prisoners formed a police squad called the Regulators, arrested the Raiders, and court-martialed by their peers and hanged the six ringleaders. Confederates provided lumber for the gallows, which was erected near the prison's South Gate, and the remaining Raiders were forced to run a gauntlet formed by their fellow prisoners. These six graves were deliberately set apart, and the six prisoners were buried with dishonor. The names on the headstones may not be accurate, because several of the Raiders were deserters who re-enlisted under aliases.

Georgia · United States