Why Andersonville was a death camp - The Confederate Surgeon's Report

From the Report of T.S. Hopkins, Confederate Acting Assistant Surgeon August 1, 1864

Causes of Death and Mortality
1. Large number of prisoners crowded together (35 square feet per man)
2. The entire absence of vegetables causing Scurvy.
3. The want of barracks and shelter from the sun and rain.
4. The lack of wood for cooking and good water
5. Badly cooked food (when cooked)
6. Filthy condition of prisoners and the prison
7. The morbidific emanations from the branch (stream) passing through the camp which is a morass of filth and human excrement.

The chief causes of death were scurvy and its results, and bowel afflictions - acute diarrhea and dysentery. Scurvy being caused by the unvarying diet of corn meal, salt and meat with but few vegtables  and imperfect supplies of vinegar and syrup.

Andersonville - Civil War death Camp

Statistics:

Union Prions January 1864 to December 1864:
Average Number of Confederate Prisoners:  45,421
Total Deaths - 8,522
Average per month - 710
Mortality per month - 1.6%

Andersonville June to October 1864
Average Number of Union Prisoners:  21,350
Total Deaths - 10,184
Average per month - 2,036
Mortality Per Month - 9.5%

In addition of the 1,500 prisoners left in November 1864, 500 died.