They took it, in every way, the hardest of any prisoners that came in, except some of the 'Hundred-Days' men, who were brought in in August, from the Valley of Virginia.

They had served nearly all their time in various garrisons along the seacoast--from Fortress Monroe to Beaufort--where they had had comparatively little of the actual hardships of soldiering in the field.

They had nearly always had comfortable quarters, an abundance of food, few hard marches or other severe service.
Consequently they were not so well hardened for Andersonville as the majority who came in.

In other respects they were better prepared, as they had an abundance of clothing, blankets and cooking utensils, and each man had some of his veteran bounty still in possession.
It was painful to see how rapidly many of them sank under the miseries of the situation.

They gave up the moment the gates were closed upon them, and began pining away.