51st Georgia Infantry Regiment

Thank you Laura for creating the flag of the 51st Georgia Infantry Regiment. See below a veteran who passed as a POW at Rock Island Prison.

This message outlines the service and ultimate sacrifice of Corporal Warren Andrews during the American Civil War, compiled from historical military records.

Born approximately in 1836, Warren Andrews enlisted in the Confederate States Army as a Private on March 4, 1862. He was assigned to Company H of the 51st Regiment, Georgia Infantry. Early records indicate his role included that of a musician, receiving a monthly pay of twelve dollars for a period in 1862.

Throughout his service, Corporal Andrews faced significant health challenges. In August 1862, he was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 1 in Richmond, Virginia, suffering from "Cont. fever," returning to duty within a week. Further hospital transfers and a subsequent furlough occurred in October 1862. A medical furlough for 30 days was also approved in October 1863, shortly before his capture, suggesting ongoing health issues.

His military career took a critical turn on December 3, 1863, when he was captured near Knoxville, Tennessee. He then endured a difficult journey through various Union prisoner-of-war facilities. Initially held at a military prison in Louisville, Kentucky, by December 29, 1863, he was among a group of prisoners transferred to Rock Island Barracks in Illinois on December 31, 1863, arriving there on January 6, 1864. Prior to Louisville, records suggest a brief confinement at Camp Chase.

Tragically, Corporal Andrews succumbed to the harsh conditions of imprisonment. He passed away at Rock Island Barracks on January 24, 1864, with the cause of death officially recorded as Variola (smallpox), a pervasive and deadly disease in the overcrowded prison camps of the era. He was laid to rest in grave number 270, situated to the south of the prison barracks.

Corporal Warren Andrews, who began his service as a Private, attained the rank of Corporal, a rank he held at the time of his death. His approximately two years of service and ultimate demise as a prisoner of war stand as a testament to the profound human cost of the conflict.