The Andersonville prison, located at Camp
Sumter, was the largest Confederate military
prison during the American Civil War. The
site of the prison is now Andersonville
National Historic Site in Andersonville,
Georgia. It includes the site of the Civil
War prison, the Andersonville National Cemetery,
and the National Prisoner of War Museum.
12,913 Union prisoners died there, mostly
of diseases. Captain Henry Wirz, commandant,
was the only Civil War soldier executed
for war crimes.
The park has three main features: the National
Prisoner of War Museum, the historic prison
site, and the National Cemetery. Andersonville
prison was the deadliest prisoner of war
camp during the Civil War with a total of
nearly 13,000 deaths. Over 40% of all Union
prisoners of war who died during the Civil
War perished at Andersonville.
From the Revolutionary War to Operation
Iraqi Freedom, American prisoners of war
have endured untold hardships, and shown
tremendous courage. Andersonville NHS commemorates
the sacrifices of these brave Americans
through exhibits in the National Prisoner
of War Museum; preserves the site of Camp
Sumter (Andersonville prison); and manages
Andersonville National Cemetery. Andersonville
National Historic Site is the only park
in the National Park System to serve as
a memorial to all American prisoners of
war. Congress stated in the authorizing
legislation that this park's purpose is
"to provide an understanding of the
overall prisoner of war story of the Civil
War, to interpret the role of prisoner of
war camps in history, to commemorate the
sacrifice of Americans who lost thier lives
in such camps, and to preserve the monuments
located within the site."
During the summer of 1864 the prisoners
suffered greatly from hunger, exposure,
and disease, and in seven months about a
third of them died due to dysentery. In
the autumn, after the capture of Atlanta,
all the prisoners who could be moved were
sent to Millen, Georgia, and Florence, South
Carolina. At Millen better arrangements
prevailed, and when, after General William
Tecumseh Sherman began his march to the
sea, the prisoners were returned to Andersonville,
the conditions there were somewhat improved.
Andersonville prison
During the war almost 45,000 prisoners
were received at the Andersonville prison,
and of these 12,913 died. A continual controversy
among historians is the nature of the deaths
and the reasons for it, with many contending
that it was deliberate Confederate war crimes
toward Union POW's and others contending
that it was merely the result of disease
(promoted by severe overcrowding), the shortage
of food in the Confederate States, the incompetence
of the prison officials, and the refusal
of the Federal authorities in 1864 to make
exchanges of prisoners, thus filling the
stockade with unlooked-for numbers. After
the war Henry Wirz, the superintendent,
was tried by a court-martial on charges
of war crimes and on November 10, 1865,
was hanged. Wirz was the only prominent
Confederate to have his trial heard and
concluded (even the prosecution for Jefferson
Davis dropped their case). The revelation
of the sufferings of the prisoners was one
of the factors that shaped public opinion
regarding the South in the Northern states,
after the close of the Civil War. The prisoners'
burial ground at Andersonville has been
made a national cemetery, and contains 13,714
graves of which 921 are marked "unknown".
Many guards of Andersonville also died
for the same reasons as the prisoners.
Adam Swarner, a young Cavalryman from New
York State was the first prisoner to die
at Andersonville. Five months later, his
brother Jacob was buried in grave number
4,005 of the National Cemetery.
ANDERSONVILLE NATIONAL CEMETERY
Andersonville National Cemetery was established
to provide a permanent place of honor for
those who died in military service to our
country. The initial interments, beginning
in February 1964, were those who died in
the nearby prisoner of war camp. Today the
cemetery contains nearly 18,000 interments.
Andersonville National Cemetery, administered
by the National Park Service, uses the same
eligibility criteria as cemeteries administered
by the National Cemetery Administration
of the Department of Veterans Affairs. For
information regarding eligibility criteria,
please visit the website of the National
Cemetery Administration at www.cem.va.gov.
Boston Corbett (Sergeant 16th NY Cavalry),
the man credited with killing John Wilkes
Booth, was a prisoner at Andersonville.
Burial Arrangements
Arrangements for the interment of an eligible
veteran or dependent are made by a funeral
director or the next of kin at the time
of need by contacting the cemetery. Cemetery
staff must verify the veteran's eligibility
prior to scheduling the interment. To establish
eligibility, cemetery staff must be provided
with a copy of the veteran's discharge documents
or Form DD-214. Gravesites are assigned
at the time of need and no advance reservations
are made.
Committal Services
Committal services are held in a large
open-air structure (the Rostrum) located
on the east side of the cemetery. Graveside
services are not conducted. The viewing
of remains is not permitted in National
Cemeteries, and Cemetery staff will not
permit a casket to be opened after the hearse
has entered the cemetery. Military honors
for veterans will be arranged by the funeral
director or the next-of-kin. Cemetery staff
can provide assistance with contact information.
A United States flag is usually provided
by the funeral director or next-of-kin and
is not provided by the National Cemetery.
Burial Benefits
Cemetery staff will open and close the
grave, and also order and erect the headstone
provided by the Department of Veteran's
Affairs. For specific information about
headstone inscriptions, please contact the
Cemetery Administrator. Perpetual care of
the gravesite will also be provided. A graveliner
is required but is not provided by Andersonville
National Cemetery. For information regarding
other burial benefits, please contact the
Department of Veteran's affairs.
Cemetery Regulations
Andersonville National Cemetery serves
as a shrine for the nation's honored dead.
Regulations have been designed to ensure
beauty, dignity and preservation of a reverent
atmosphere. Please abide by the following
regulations while on the cemetery grounds:
Pets must be kept on a leash at all times
and should be kept only on paved areas.
No jogging, picnicking or recreational activities
Please keep your voices lowered
Please place all litter in refuse containers
Please do not sit on headstones or monuments
within the cemetery grounds
Grave Decoration Policy
Graves are decorated with small US flags
for Memorial Day. Flags may not be placed
at any other time.
Fresh-cut flowers may be placed on graves
at any time. Artificial arrangements are
not allowed from April 15 through October
15. All flowers will be removed when they
become faded or unsightly. During the periods
ten days before and after Easter Sunday
and Memorial Day, potted plants and wreaths
are permitted. Christmas wreaths and floral
blankets not larger than 2 by 3 feet are
permitted from December 1 through January
20. The National Park Service is not responsible
for floral arrangements or other items placed
in the cemetery. Plantings, statues, vigil
lights or other decorations are not permitted
at any time. All containers should be non-breakable.
Temporary floral vases are available in
the Cemetery. Permanent below-ground metal
floral containers are not permitted. Containers
or other items may not be attached to the
headstone.
HISTORIC PRISON SITE
The site of Camp Sumter (Andersonville
Prison) is preserved as part of the the
National Historic Site. The historic prison
site is 26.5 acres outlined with double
rows of white posts. Two sections of the
stockade wall have been reconstructed, the
north gate and the northeast corner.
Camp Sumter was established in late 1863
and early 1864 to provide an additional
place to hold Union prisoners captured by
Confederate forces. The first prisoners
were brought to the new prison in February
1864 from Richmond, Virginia. Camp Sumter
has been built to help lessen the crowding
in the facilities in and around Richmond.
The new prison was orginally designed to
hold a maximum of 10,000 prisoners and was
16.5 acres in size. Overcrowding was an
almost immediate problem and by early summer
an expansion of 10 acres was completed.
By August of 1864, Camp Sumter held over
32,000 prisoners and the death rate was
a staggering 100+ daily. In 14 months, nearly
13,000 Union prisoners persished.
NATIONAL PRISONER OF WAR MUSEUM
The idea of a Museum to commemorate the
sacrifices of all American prisoners of
war took root many years ago, when in 1970,
Congressional legislation was passed to
create Andersonville NHS. This legislation
mandated that the new historic site should
tell the story of Andersonville and other
Civil War era prisons, protect the physical
features of the historic prison site and
Andersonville National Cemetery, and should
“interpret the role of prisoner of
war camps in history and to commemorate
the sacrifices of Americans who lost their
lives in such camps”.
For a number of years, the park maintained
a small historic building as the POW museum,
with exhibits developed by park staff. In
the mid-1980’s the park staff began
to work with American Ex-Prisoners of War
(AXPOW) a national organization of former
POWs and their families, setting in motion
the idea that a National Prisoner of War
Museum should be a part of this National
Park Service unit. It was not until the
1990s when Congress appropriated funding
for planning and development of the Museum
that the project began in earnest. The NPS
and AXPOW continued to work closely together
to raise funding and corroborate on both
design for the building and for the interpretive
exhibits. The overwhelming goal for the
project was that the Museum would be a fitting
visitor center for the public and give visitors
a total understanding of the story of all
POWs.
As the project continued, another partnership
group joined the effort. The Friends of
Andersonville, a group of local and national
supporters of the park, became involved
in the fund raising process and also served
as a petitioner to the state of Georgia
for assistance with construction of a new
entrance road for the park which would lead
directly to the site of the new Museum.
Finally in the summer of 1996, construction
of the building began. April 9, 1998 not
only commemorated the 56th anniversary of
the fall of the Island of Bataan during
World War II, but marked a new era of interpretation
at Andersonville NHS. Thousands of former
prisoners of war and their families along
with national and local supporters of the
park gathered to dedicate the National Prisoner
of War Museum.
Andersonville National Cemetery, Andersonville,
Georgia
Ghost of
the Battlefield
Many say the spot is very haunted. Reports
of groaning and moaning sounds are often
heard and recoded as EVP's.
The park grounds are open daily from 8:00
am until 5:00 pm Eastern Time, allowing
access to both the historic prison site
and Andersonville National Cemetery. The
National Prisoner of War Museum, which also
serves as the park visitor center, opens
at 8:30 and also closes at 5:00 pm. The
National Prisoner of War Museum is closed
on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's
Days and no visitor services are provided.
Park grounds, including the National Cemetery,
are open on these days.
The National Prisoner of War Museum, which
serves as the park visitor center. The Museum
opened in 1998.
The park has no entrance fee, and no fees
for park interpretive programs. Organized
groups of 12 or more who are requesting
interpretive programs especially for their
group must make reservations at least two
weeks in advance.
Andersonville National Historic
Site
Operating Hours & Seasons
The National Prisoner of War Museum, which
serves as the park visitor center. The Museum
opened in 1998.
The park has no entrance fee, and no fees
for park interpretive programs. Organized
groups of 12 or more who are requesting
interpretive programs especially for their
group must make reservations at least two
weeks in advance.
The park grounds are open daily from 8:00
am until 5:00 pm Eastern Time, allowing
access to both the historic prison site
and Andersonville National Cemetery. The
National Prisoner of War Museum, which also
serves as the park visitor center, opens
at 8:30 and also closes at 5:00 pm. The
National Prisoner of War Museum is closed
on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's
Days and no visitor services are provided.
Park grounds, including the National Cemetery,
are open on these days.
ALSO SEE: THE TOP
TEN MOST HAUNTED BATTLEFIELD LIST
Though
the battles have long ago ended and the
sound of cannons and muskets is but a distant
memory, there are some souls who are still
waiting for the call to “Retreat”
– and for them, it may never come!
Make
plans to visit a Haunted Battlefield today!
<
VISIT HERE TO VIEW FULL LIST >
