LionHeart FilmWorks
Part 1 of 2. “Andersonville The Untold Story of the Civil War” is a slickly produced, 1996 TNT Original Movie that originally aired on March 3rd, 1996. It was directed by legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer about a group of Union soldiers during the 1864 Cold Harbor Campaign who are captured by Confederates and sent to this infamous Prison camp in Georgia. Although not action-packed for a war film, the movie did do a very good job with the material culture details – for the time it was made.
The film starred an unknown New York stage actor in the lead role – Jarrod Emick. It also starred Frederic Forrest, Cliff DeYoung, Jan Triska, Thomas F. Wilson (“Back to the Future”) and a young William H. Macy in a small but important role.
The program won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special for director John Frankenheimer. It was nominated in six other categories as well, including a nomination for cinematographer, Ric Waite.
The film is loosely based on the diary of John Ransom, a Union soldier imprisoned there. Between1864–1865, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned in Andersonville. 12,912 died. There was never a promised prisoner exchange. After the war, camp commander Captain Henry Wirz was hanged, the only Civil War soldier to be tried and executed for war crimes committed during the war
Transition Studies 