Andersonville - A History Lesson.
For those of you unfamiliar with Andersonville, it was the most infamous Civil War Prison. It is now home to the Andersonville National Historic Site and National Cemetery.
Following the end of the Civil War, the burying ground for Andersonville prison was designated a national cemetery on July 26, 1865. The 12,920 men who died at the prison camp are buried in the cemetery.
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of Union veterans, established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress and placed on the last Monday in May. It was at that time that Memorial Day was expanded to honor all those who have died in all American wars.
Since 1899 monuments and memorials have been placed at Andersonville to remember the men who suffered and died here, as well as American POWs from other conflicts.
Please click on the top photo and scroll through the monuments honoring our fallen American brothers and sisters.
Please take a few moments to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by these brave men and women.
Wishing you a peace-filled Memorial Day.
Love,
Susan and Kim