Andersonville National Historic Site

During the last few years of the Civil War, the Confederate States government built a large stockade prison camp towards the south of Middle Georgia called Camp Sumter which most people called Andersonville. More than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined at the prison between February 1864 – April 1865,. More than 12,000 died from disease, malnutrition, overcrowding, and exposure.

The site of Camp Sumter, also known as Andersonville Prison, is now part of Andersonville National Historic Site. The Andersonville National Historic Site has three main features including the National Prisoner of War Museum, the historic prison site, and the Andersonville National Cemetery.

Andersonville National Historic Site is the only park in the National Park System that serves 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 their lives in such camps, and to preserve the monuments located within the site.”

Visit the National POW Museum

Opened in 1998, the National Prisoner of War Museum tells the story of prisoners of war throughout American History. This facility doubles as the park’s visitor center and is the best place to begin a visit.

Visit the 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 1864, were those who died in the nearby prisoner of war camp. Today the cemetery contains nearly 20,000 interments. Administered by the National Park Service, Andersonville National Cemetery uses the same eligibility criteria as cemeteries administered by the National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Visit the Historic Prison Site

The site of Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison), the most famous of the prison camps of the Civil War, is preserved as part of the National Historic Site.

Tour Andersonville National Historic Site

Every day at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM park rangers and volunteers lead programs which explore the history of the Andersonville Prison during the Civil War.

Reviews & Articles

• Andersonville brings the pain of the civil war to life
• Learn from history
• A must for someone interested in the Civil War
• Amazing!!
• Great preservation of the site – worth a look
• Why I am proud to be an American
• A sobering and stirring place every American should visit
• For the History Buff

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