About this city
Also known as: The Historic Civil War Village
Located in Sumter County in southwestern Georgia, Andersonville is a small village with a deeply significant and somber place in American history. Established in the mid-19th century along the Central of Georgia Railway, the town became notorious during the American Civil War as the site of Camp Sumter, the largest Confederate military prison. Between 1864 and 1865, the overcrowded open-air stockade held more than 45,000 Union soldiers, nearly 13,000 of whom perished due to malnutrition, disease, and exposure. Today, the entire historic prison site and its surrounding landscape are preserved as a national park dedicated to honoring all American prisoners of war across history. The modern town retains its late-19th-century rural charm, serving primarily as a gateway for historical remembrance and education.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1 day
Tour the moving exhibits at the National Prisoner of War Museum. Walk the preserved grounds and earthworks of the historic Camp Sumter military prison site. Pay your respects at the row upon row of graves in the Andersonville National Cemetery.
