Andersonville National Historic Site. State of the Parks

摘要

Andersonville National Historic Site, officially known as Camp Sumter during the American Civil War, held captive more than 45,000 prisoners of war and was one of the largest and most notorious Confederate military prisons. Beginning in 1864, and throughout the camp's 14-month existence, 12,912 Union soldiers died within Andersonville's walls as a result of poor sanitation, disease, malnutrition, exposure, and overcrowding. Located in southwestern Georgia, Andersonville National Historic Site was established by Congress in 1970 to provide an understanding of the Civil War prisoner of war (POW) story, to interpret the role of prisoner of war camps in history, and to commemorate the sacrifice of Americans who lost their lives in such camps (Public Law 91-465). The site consists of Andersonville Prison, the National Prisoner of War Museum, and the national cemetery. The museum opened at Andersonville in 1998, and it is dedicated to all brave men and women of the United States who have suffered captivity.