When we talk about deadlines today, we’re usually talking about a time limit to get something done. Deadlines motivate us to get a project in on time. We structure whole days and work periods around deadlines, and the term is well-associated with this time limit definition. We procrastinate around deadlines.
The term has become a well-known part of the English vocabulary. One definition in the Merrian-Webster dictionary is “a date or time before which something must be done.”
But there’s another definition for deadline, where the term is a lot more sinister and actually meant literally. It is defined as “a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of getting shot.”
A “deadline” was, according to the Merrian-Webster dictionary, a term mentioned by captive soldiers in the Civil War, particularly Union soldiers captured by the Confederacy.
One prison in Andersonville, Georgia, was well-known for its horrible conditions. The prison had deadlines and really popularized the term by enforcing them, having 13,000 of 45,000 prisoners during its one-year tenure dying while in jail.
The Andersonville Prison
The Anderson Prison was made in 1864, according to Jesse Beckett at War History Online. A captain named Henry Wirz commanded the prison, and as stated previously, conditions in the prison were so poor almost a third of prisoners died in it. The prison did not have even enough food and water for the guards.
Many prisoners died of typhoid fever and dysentery. The prison had terrible conditions partly because it was also underfunded — there was a 10 to 20-foot high wooden fence to keep prisoners in, which could easily be climbed.
So, to prevent these prisoners from escaping, Captain Wirz gave an order: anyone who crossed a line 19 feet inside the wall could be killed. The National Park Service says guards were allowed to shoot prisoners if they crossed this line. This would be mentioned in a variety of commission reports and newspapers, usually in reference to the Andersonville Prison.
At one point, the prison held 33,000 people in August of 1864.
Most prisoners were moved after General William Sherman occupied Atlanta the next month. The prison still operated, but it had significantly fewer prisoners. By May 1865, the prison no longer operated.
Wirz was found guilty of “murder, in violation of the laws of war.” Wirz was hanged in Washington D.C. on November 10, 1865.
Takeaways
Eventually, in the 1920s, the meaning of the word shifted to something significantly less deadly, mostly used by newspapers and journalist circles.
We still don’t know how many people were really shot and killed from crossing the “dead line” at Andersonville Prison, or how many people just died of horrible conditions. The “dead line” did establish Wirz’s reputation as an incredibly evil prison guard who had zero regard for the sanctity of human life, especially the human life of Union soldiers.
Still, the idea of the “dead line” is horrifying and a reminder that treating enemy prisoners of war humanely is important, and in the best interest of both sides.
In World War II, western forces were known to treat Nazi prisoners much better than Soviets, which led to Nazis on the Eastern Front fighting brutal battles to the death, while Nazis on the Western Front surrendered peacefully in most cases.
However, some believe Wirz’s reputation was not deserved. Multiple times, he requested more food and supplies for the horrible conditions of the prison and attempted to exchange prisoners to reduce overcrowding. Regardless, he was an easy scapegoat for 13,000 prisoners dying and a symbol of Confederate cruelty.
At least now, when you don’t meet your deadline, you’re not getting shot at.
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This post was previously published on Frame of Reference.
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