Ranger-Led Programs at the Andersonville Prison site

Program Overview
Students will examine the experience of Union prisoners of war through the items they brought, made, traded and stole. From buttons to bread, common items could mean the difference between life and death for these men. The physical program centers on the reconstructed northeast corner where tents structures help remind the visitor of the meager living conditions for most prisoners. Students will work in groups to study items and discuss how prisoners might adapt these items in unique ways to meet their daily needs. Time will also be taken to explore the economic system in the prison, which included illegal trade with guards, a store in the middle of the prison and simple trading between fellow prisoners. Students will be asked to consider whether they would have made the right trades, saved the best resources or pursued the jobs that would either have saved or shortened their lives as prisoners.

Grade Levels:
This activity is intended for younger students up to the fifth grade and mixed-grade homeschool and distance-learning groups.

Group Size:
55 Students or less.

Program Summary [PDF file]
Coming soon

Program Overview
Students will explore how Union soldiers became prisoners during the Civil War with the help of prisoner profiles. Each student will receive a card explaining the details of a real Civil War prisoner.

Throughout the program they will be asked to consider things from the perspective of their historical figure. The physical tour centers on the reconstructed North Gate, the same type of gate that greeted thousands of prisoners. This program will address prison life, including the harsh conditions and methods of survival. This program also places Andersonville in the larger context of the Civil War, linking the events that created the prisons and also explaining how troop movement or decisions of military leaders helped or hurt those held in the stockade. At the end of the program, students will discover what happened to their historical prisoner.

Grade Levels:
This activity is designed for sixth through twelth grades.

Group Size:
55 Students or less; minimum of 25 participants required.

Program Summary [PDF file]
Coming soon