Dorence Atwater, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Dorence Atwater

American diplomat and American Civil War prisoner of war

Date of Birth: 03-Feb-1845

Place of Birth: Terryville, Connecticut, United States

Date of Death: 26-Nov-1910

Profession: entrepreneur, diplomat

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Dorence Atwater (February 3, 1845 – November 26, 1910) was a Union Army soldier and later a businessman and diplomat who served as the United States Consul to Tahiti. In July 1863, during the American Civil War, Atwater was captured by the Confederate Army and found himself among the first batch of prisoners at the notorious Andersonville prisoner-of-war camp.
He is notable for having created the Andersonville Death Register while imprisoned there, which recorded the identities of his fellow prisoners.
He made a secret copy of his list of the dead and missing which later allowed him, in cooperation with Clara Barton, to mark the graves of otherwise unknown soldiers. Atwater was released from prison by President Andrew Johnson and sent to the Seychelles as a 23-year-old United States Consul.
He was a proficient businessman who worked with lepers and other charities and was beloved by the Tahitian people, who called him "Tupuuataroa" (Wise Man).