Andersonville
After an exciting day in Plains, GA that lasted longer than expected, we did not have as much time in Andersonville as we had originally hoped. Without a doubt, however, our experience at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site was well worth the delay!
In talking about the National Park System with friends in Georgia, many mentioned visiting Andersonville in the past. Not only does this park commemorate the Union Soldiers once held captive on these grounds in Camp Sumter, but it also serves as a memorial to all American Prisoners of War. With only an hour before closing, we arrived at the National Prisoner of War Museum. There was far more to see and learn than we had the chance to experience. After wandering the museum and learning of the bravery exhibited and tragedy endured by many American POW’s across time, we watched a brief video about the history of Camp Sumter. This was both a very sad and interesting learning experience. We learned about how Camp Sumter became so overcrowded and how poor sanitation, malnutrition, and disease ran rampant. As closing time drew closer, we left the museum with much left to visit, and made our way out to the field that once served as Camp Sumter. Today, the lush grass covering the area makes it hard to visualize the horror experienced by the men imprisoned there. Here, pouring rain made it challenging to read the signs posted around the prison area and soon we left to visit the Andersonville National Cemetery. This, too, was a somber experience.
The cemetery is beautifully maintained and is adorned with American Flags. We learned that due to the incredibly high death rate in Camp Sumter, many Union soldiers were buried in trenches shoulder-to-shoulder. As such, the headstones that were later erected nearly touch one another. In other areas of the cemetery, the headstones are more spread out. These soldiers either passed away very soon after Camp Sumter opened or in subsequent wars. While fourteen national cemeteries exist nationwide, Andersonville National Cemetery is one of only two that remain active today.
Without a doubt, there was more to be seen in Andersonville than we were able to see. But due to pouring rain and a late arrival, we did not have the opportunity to fully experience all this site had to offer. Luckily, Andersonville is within driving distance of our home in Atlanta so it will not be difficult for us to arrange a return visit.
National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/ande/
Announced this week – Graduate student sets out to pinpoint the exact location of Confederate Prison, Camp Lawton, for his thesis and discovers large amounts of Civil War artifacts at the site. From the Associated Press – “Camp Lawton imprisoned more than 10,000 Union troops after it opened in October 1864 to replace the infamously hellish war prison at Andersonville. But it lasted barely six weeks before Sherman’s army arrived in November and burned it. The camp’s brief existence made it a low priority among scholars. While known to be in or near Magnolia Springs State Park outside Millen, 50 miles south of Augusta, the camp’s exact location was never verified.” Until now.