Categories: Arts & Culture; History & Heritage; Local Highlights
Overview. A prison camp for Union soldiers in the 1860s, Andersonville has been preserved as a monument to the men who died here and to all American prisoners-of-war. The camp is infamous for the atrocities committed against its prisoners: approximately 13,000 died of exposure, starvation, and disease. It was built without shelter, and food and water were scarce; men had to dig wells to find ground water. Some soldiers had makeshift tents or lean-tos, but they offered little protection from hot summer days or violent storms. Firsthand accounts describe prisoners as little more than walking skeletons. Captain Henry Wirz, commandant of the camp, was thought to be responsible for its conditions and was hanged after the war. However, historians have revised this image, depicting him instead as a scapegoat.
Headstones now mark the places where the casualties are buried, thanks largely to Dorence Atwater, a former prisoner who kept the camp's official death register and later smuggled it to Washington, DC. The 515-acre park continues to serve as a national veterans' cemetery.
What to see and do. Admission to the park is free, but donations are accepted. For a minimum fee with a driver's license, you can rent an audio cassette and take a one-hour taped auto tour. If you're planning to take the walking tour, wear appropriate clothing (summers are hot and humid) and comfortable walking shoes.
The National Prisoner of War Museum contains exhibits about Civil War prisoners and a display of weapons, diaries, and letters. You can also purchase books, or look through a computer database or a card catalog that contains the names of most of the 45,000 men who were imprisoned here. Former prisoners of war are often available to share their stories with visitors.
Special events held throughout the year include living history presentations, a dramatization of Captain Wirz's trial, and ceremonies dedicated to American veterans. The grounds are open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM; visitor center hours are 8:30 AM to 5 PM. The entire site is closed Thanskgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Take I-75 to Byron Exit and then to Highway 49 south. Travel 40 miles to the park entrance.
|
