A Worthwhile Experience

Andersonville, GA, was the site chosen by the Confederate authorities in 1863 for Camp Sumter, a prisoner of war camp begun in 1864. A little over a year later, when the Civil War ended, 13,000 Union prisoners had died in the facility. Practically every other prison camp, on both sides, had appalling records regarding inmate deaths but none compared to Camp Sumter.
As the memory of the war faded and more rational heads prevailed, the efforts of a few finally culminated in Congressional legislation, more than 100 years later, to develop an historic site embracing POW issues from all conflicts, including of course, the Civil War. This mandate has seemingly been met. The cemetery was also opened to all qualified military personnel and now contains more than 18,000 graves and markers. Just a quiet 20 minutes off of I75, a couple of hours could be spent in many poorer ways.