A Civil War mystery has been solved after nearly 150 years.  This week, archaeologists unveiled their discovery of Camp Lawton, a Confederate prison camp near the town of Millen in Southeast Georgia.

“As far as we know, this is the only existing stockade in this pristine condition in existence in the world,” said Kevin Chapman, a Georgia Southern University Graduate student who discovered the findings. “A lot of the Civil War history is the history of the big picture, the big battles, the decisions of generals, and the movement of tens of thousands of men. This is a different story. These are the small stories that get left out a lot.”

Tourniquet buckles, jewelry, a pipe, coins and coat buttons are just a few of the items scientists discovered buried in Magnolia Springs camp ground.  Less than 1 percent of the site has been excavated.

Experts speculate when the camp operational 150 years ago, it occupied 42 acres. They say at least 10,000 soldiers lived there the six weeks it was open, and as many as 1,000 Union prisoners died there.

Despite the conditions, evidence shows the soldiers were innovative and resilient.

“When you hold that pipe, you can really reach back 150 years and feel this man. I can really picture him, sitting next to a small fire here at Camp Lawton,” Chapman said.  “I’ll never know his name and I don’t know if he survived or not but it feels like I know that man and every time I touch that artifact, the hairs on my arms stand up. I really get a sense of him.”

Descendants of the soldiers visiting Camp Lawton describe a similar feeling.

“There’s that remote possibility that maybe it was something of his – who knows,” said Nina Raeth of the artifacts.

Her great grandfather was a union soldier during the war and lived at the prison. She said he survived the camp. He went on to marry and raise a family.

“Just to see these artifacts and to think they are probably just the beginning of what they’re going to find out there is just so exciting,” Raeth said.