ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia - Nearly one hundred years ago, on Dec. 20, 1912, citizens of the State of Illinois dedicated a monument in the Andersonville National Cemetery "in grateful remembrance of the patriotic devotion of her sons who suffered and died in the Military Prison at Andersonville." The staff of Andersonville National Historic Site invites the public to observe the centennial of this monument at 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Veterans Day, Sunday Nov. 11, 2012.
Illinois historian Robert I. Girardi will speak to the service and experience of Illinois soldiers who were held at Andersonville. Mr. Girardi earned his M.A. in Public History at Loyola University of Chicago in 1991. He is a past president of the Civil War Round Table of Chicago and is currently vice president of the Salt Creek Civil War Round Table. He belongs to two other Civil War round tables in the Chicago area. He is a fellow of the Company of Military Historians and is an associate member of the Sons of Union Veterans. He is on the editorial review board of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society.
In 1907 the legislature of the State of Illinois authorized a monument in memory of the state's 889 known dead at Andersonville. The final design was the result of a collaborative effort between sculptor Charles Mulligan and state architect Carbys Zimmerman. On Dec. 20, 1912 the Illinois monument was dedicated in the southwest portion of Andersonville National Cemetery.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with the museum opening at 9:00 a.m. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, visit on the web at www.nps.gov/ande/, or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS
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Caption: The Illinois Monument rises over the southwest quadrant of the Andersonville National Cemetery.
Credit: NPS/Andersonville National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
