Exhaustingallthese,theyweredesertedfortheFrench,GermanandEnglishportionsofEurope。Theturnofthelatterisnowcome;faminesarebecomingterriblyfrequent,andmankindispouringintothevirginfieldsofAmerica。
LowerGeorgia,theCarolinasandEasternVirginiahaveallthecharacteristicsofthesestarvedandworn—outlands。Itwouldseemasif,awaybackinthedistanceofages,somenumerousandcivilizedracehaddrainedfromthesoilthelastatomoffood—producingconstituents,andthatitisnowslowlygatheringback,asthecenturiespass,theelementsthathavebeenwrungfromtheland。
LowerGeorgiaisverythinlysettled。MuchofthelandisstillinthehandsoftheGovernment。Thethreeorfourrailroadswhichpassthroughithavelittlereferencetolocaltraffic。Therearenotownsalongthemasarule;stationsaremadeeverytenmiles,andnotnamed,butnumbered,as\"StationNo。4\"——No。10,\"etc。Theroadswerebuiltasthroughlines,tobringtotheseaboardtherichproductsoftheinterior。
Andersonvilleisoneofthefewstationsdignifiedwithasame,probablybecauseitcontainedsomehalfdozenofshabbyhouses,whereasattheotherstherewasusuallynothingmorethanamereopenshed,tosheltergoodsandtravelers。Itisonarudelyconstructed,ricketyrailroad,thatrunsfromMacontoAlbany,theheadofnavigationontheFlintRiver,whichis,onehundredandsixmilesfromMacon,andtwohundredandfiftyfromtheGulfofMexico。AndersonvilleisaboutsixtymilesfromMacon,and,consequently,aboutthreehundredmilesfromtheGulf。
Thecampwasmerelyaholecutinthewilderness。Itwasasremoteapointfrom,ourarmies,astheythenlay,astheSouthernConfederacycouldgive。ThenearestwasSherman,atChattanooga,fourhundredmilesaway,andontheothersideofarangeofmountainshundredsofmileswide。