All matters of the US War Prison Barracks during WW1 were matters of national security, so information is limited at best. We have the local newspaper reporters and a few photographers to thank for what little information we do have. Nevertheless, we can piece together the scattered scraps of information that they left behind to get a fairly good idea of the prison camp. 

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​Based on newspaper research, the prison stockade was 31.5 acres, more or less a large square. It was situated about a half mile north northeast of the original Fort Oglethorpe post (Barnhardt Circle). While Fort Oglethorpe was located on the west side of the Lafayette Road, the prison stockade was located on the east side of the Lafayette Road. Today, the stockade would be bounded by GA Hwy 2/Battlefield Parkway on the north, Lafayette Road on the west, and Forrest Road on the south, and the Gilbert-Stephenson Park at its southeast corner.

The perimeter of the stockade was an inner and outer fence. The two fences were about 10-15 feet apart and about 10-15 feet high. The six-foot zone just inside the inner fence was known as the "dead zone," because anyone in that zone would be shot. The fences were barbed wire strands about four inches apart, running parallel to the ground, and attached to wooden posts. 

Twelve guard towers were evenly placed along the west, north, and east sides, but none on the south side. The reason for this may be because the prison stockade was adjacent to the Camp Greenleaf medical school, which was between Forrest Road and what is today Reeds Bridge Road. Each guard tower was armed with a mounted machine gun and a pump action shotgun. Each tower also had a searchlight and telephone. If the twelve guard towers were evenly spaced along the west, north, and east sides of a 31.5 acre square, they would be approximately 78 yards apart. A wooden boardwalk went around the entire stockade connecting the guard towers, and guards were walking the perimeter frequently. The towers and boardwalk were just outside the outer wire fence. Nitrogen lights were used around the perimeter to illuminate the fences.

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By zooming in on the picture below, one can see the barbed wire strands and the construction of the fence, as well the guard tower. In the background is the Lafayette Road, so this picture is looking at a guard tower on the western side of the stockade. The overhead wires would have been carrying power from Chattanooga and some are telephone wires (courtesy National Archives).