Camp Sumter - commonly known as Andersonville - was the largest military prison of the American Civil War and was that conflict’s deadliest location. The first prisoners did not arrive there until February 1864, but 45,000 men passed through its gates before it finally closed in May 1865. It operated at its greatest—and deadliest—capacity between February 1864 and the Federal occupation of Atlanta the following September.

The Andersonville Irish Project was formally launched in 2020 as an initiative of the iconic blog and website irishamericancivilwar.com to explore the impact of Andersonville prison on Irish American men and their communities. Since that date, over 1,050 Irish American men who perished in the Civil War's most notorious prison have been identified, and thousands of records relating to their lives, service and the impact of the loss on their families gathered.

This special talk for the AIHS will share some of the latest results on the project and specifically explore the impact death at Andersonville had on families in New York City, the Irish American demographic most impacted by death during the American Civil War. 

Damian Shiels PhD has 25 years’ experience in the heritage sector. He has particular expertise in researching, interpreting and communicating heritage, history and archaeology. With an unusually broad range of experience across the public, private and academic sectors, his roles have included those of Curator at the National Museum of Ireland, Company Director at one of Europe’s largest archaeological consultancies, and Research Fellow at Northumbria University. He is a specialist in emigrant history, military history, digital engagement and conflict archaeology. With a strong commitment to broad public outreach, he has established numerous dedicated public-facing history and heritage initiatives, a number of which have been award-winning. Among his latest are Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast with Fin Dwyer and his StoryMaps projects here.