Andersonville National Historic Site
The Andersonville National Historic Site is the site of the American Civil War prisoner of war camp Camp Sumter (also known as Andersonville Prison). Andersonville was a Confederate prisoner-of-war-camp during the last 12 months of the Civil War.
Andersonville National Historic Site | |
 | |
Reconstruction of a section of the stockade wall | |
| Location: | Macon / Sumter counties, Georgia, United States |
|---|---|
| Nearest city: | Andersonville, Georgia, Americus, Georgia |
| Coordinates: | 32°11′41″N 84°07′44″W / 32.19469°N 84.12895°WCoordinates: 32°11′41″N 84°07′44″W / 32.19469°N 84.12895°W |
| Area: | 514 acres (208 ha)[3] |
| Built: | April 1864 |
| Visitation: | 1,436,759 (2011) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000070[1][2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 16, 1970 |
| Designated NHS: | October 16, 1970 |
The site is near Andersonville, Georgia. Most of the site lies in southwestern Macon County. Along with the former prisoner, the Andersonville National Cemetery and the National Prisoner of War Museum are also at the Andersonville National Historic Site.
12,920 Union Army prisoners died. This was over one out of every four prisoners at Andersonville.[4]
The camp was overcrowded with four times as many prisoners as it was designed to hold. There was not enough water, food, or sanitation. About 45,000 Union prisoners were held at Camp Sumter during the war; nearly 13,000 (nearly 3 in every 10) died. The most common causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery.
During the Civil War, Confederate Captain Henry Wirz ran Andersonville. After the war, he was tried and found guilty of war crimes and executed. [4]
Andersonville National Historic Site Media
A depiction of Andersonville Prison by John L. Ransom, former prisoner
A drawing of Andersonville Prison by Thomas O'Dea, former prisoner
Andersonville prisoners and tents, southwest view showing the dead-line, August 17, 1864
Andersonville National Cemetery, June 2011
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
- ↑ Horrors of Andersonvile James K. Polk
- ↑ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011" (PDF). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "History of the Andersonville Prison". National Park Service: National Historic Sites. United States Department of the Interior. 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.