“The largest prison in the world”
Described by its builder, Brigadier General John H. Winder, as “the largest prison in the world,” Camp Lawton was hastily constructed in the late summer and fall of 1864 to alleviate the horrendous overcrowding and supply and health problems of the Confederate military prison at Andersonville (Camp Sumter), Georgia, that eventually resulted in the deaths of nearly 13,000 Union POWs.
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Camp Lawton Artifacts
These small items, discarded or lost by prisoners–military hardware, personal items brought from home, food remains–can bring us closer to understanding what life was like on a day to day basis for those thousands of prisoners who lived at the camp in the fall of 1864
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More from Camp Lawton
We are lucky to have several descendants of prisoners and guards from Camp Lawton who are dedicated to sharing their histories with us. Through their willingness to share family stories, journals, artifacts, and images, we are able to learn about some of those people who lived at Camp Lawton, on both sides of the stockade. Their stories hint at the wide variety of backgrounds and experiences of those in the camp. We hope that these pages will also encourage other people to tell us about their family histories, and we would love to add their information to these pages.
Learn about the descendants“The story of Camp Lawton is a nexus for the various historical threads of the history of the American Civil War in Georgia, with its construction, use, and eventual abandonment tied to some of the most significant vignettes of the Georgia experience of the Civil War, from the Andersonville tragedy to Sherman’s march to the sea.”
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Visit Camp Lawton
Magnolia Springs State Park
1053 Magnolia Springs Drive
Millen, GA 30442
Jenkins County
Park Hours: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Park Office: 478-982-1660
Camp Lodging: 800-864-7275
Web: Magnolia Springs State Park