Andersonville National Historic Site

United States National Historic Site near Andersonville, Georgia

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
Andersonville National Historic Site is located in Georgia
Andersonville National Historic Site
Andersonville National Historic Site is located in the United States
Andersonville National Historic Site
LocationMacon / Sumter counties, Georgia, United States
Nearest cityAndersonville, Georgia, Americus, Georgia
Coordinates32°11′41″N 84°07′44″W / 32.19469°N 84.12895°W / 32.19469; -84.12895
Area514 acres (208 ha)[3]
BuiltApril 1864
Visitation1,436,759 (2011)[4]
WebsiteAndersonville National Historic Site
NRHP reference No.70000070[1][2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 16, 1970
Designated NHSOctober 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.[5]

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. [5]

References

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  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. Horrors of Andersonvile James K. Polk
  3. "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-30. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  4. "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "History of the Andersonville Prison". National Park Service: National Historic Sites. United States Department of the Interior. 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.