Existing comment:
From the sign:
Providence Spring.
During a heavy rainstorm on August 14, 1864, a spring suddenly gushed from this hillside. The prisoners were desperate for fresh water, and over time the event became legendary. Several men claimed to have seen lightning strike this spot just before the spring burst forth.
This damp slope, with its many natural seeps, would appear to be a likely site for a spring. Workmen may have inadvertently buried the spring's outlet while digging the stockade trench. Whether an act of nature or divine providence, the effect of the stream was an answer to thousands of prayers. ...
Providence Spring was not exactly at the Pavilion site but on this slope within the deadline. At first, prisoners reached the spring by tying cups to tent poles, but guards later allowed them to trough the water into camp. |