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From: "Rhonda Houston" <>
Subject: [MO-CW] Why the Yankees Died at Andersonville
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 20:30:26 -0500


I know that I am off topic for each of these great lists, but I have just
read one of the most informative, interesting piece of medical information
concerning history which deals with the hows and whys so many more of the
Northern boys died in that camp referred to as Andersonville. Also, answered
are some of the reasons why the Southern Confederate and Southern slaves who
built the fortress did a better job of surviving this prison and continued
to do so even after all those Northern personnel had arrived to be held
within it later and died.

This article is from a book that will be published this (2003)autumn of
David F. Cross, M.D. of Charlotte, Vermont, who is a retired internist. His
book "A Melancholy Affair at the Weldon Railroad" recounts the story of four
hundred Vermonters captured in an engagement south of Petersburg, VA, in Jun
1864 and imprisoned at Andersonville. He exams all previous medical history
documents and documentation that extends to the present and something that
excites me is that he lists within his bibliography all this information,
with concerns of all previous reasons so many Northerners died so much more
readily than the Southerners who were native to the area in which
Andersonville was situated...although many Southerners didn't fair well.
Alot of what he says is that Andersonville was within an area seriously
affected with hookworm and backs up his theories by all the information
gathered since the closing of Andersonville to the present. With this
article there are pictures which documents the disease that the hookworm
causes and explanations documented...there are pictures of soldiers,
families that lived within that area, and medical information given and
explained how the disease occurs, what the behaviors appear as the disease
progresses, and through his explanation one can actually see what
Northerners saw of this diseas when the Southern Confederate soldier came
into their area to fight. Dr. Cross' theory is that a great portion of the
Southern soldiers should have been considered 4-F because of their advanced
stages of the hookworm disease and how it is still being eliminated today
with a cure, better sanitation and the use of wearing shoes in particular
parts of the South.

This article taken from his up and coming book, with regards to this theory
concerning Andersonville, is within the magazine "North and South: The
Official Magazine of the Civl War Society" vol 6, no. 6 (in which the
article is titled, 'What Killed the Yankees at Andersonville?') Dr. Cross'
explanation is understandable to the layman, wonderful for the historian,
and his documentation is awesome... (which gives one a chance to further
understand other things one doesn't understand about this parasite and what
has been done to assist those who have gotten this disease that ultimately
kills.)So sorry about the article review, but I wanted to share something of
past history that actually relates to today, which to me is the ultimate end
product of history.

Rhonda Houston


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