Camp Morton
Encyclopedia
Camp Morton was a Union prisoner-of-war camp located in Indianapolis, Indiana
during the American Civil War
. It was named for Indiana
governor Oliver Morton, who was the governor of Indiana during the War. It lasted from 1861-1865. Originally intended to simply be a training ground, after the Battle of Shiloh
the former home of the Indiana State Fair
became one of more important prisoner of war camps. Not a trace of the camp remains, but Confederates who died while prisoners are buried nearby in Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery
.
, Morton volunteered to President Abraham Lincoln
10,000 Indiana troops to invade the South. Morton looked for a place to train these new recruits. He chose the ground of the then-new Indiana State Fairgrounds, naming the facility Camp Morton, after himself. It had previously been Henderson's Grove, after Samuel Henderson
, the first mayor of Indianapolis. It was a 36 acres (145,687 m²) tract north of the city. Its borders were loosely the present-day roads of 19th Street, Central Avenue, 22nd Street, and Talbott Street. Alabama St. runs through the center of what was the camp.
In a span of two days, the fairgrounds were quickly converted to a military facility. The barracks were cattle
and horse
stalls. The hospital was originally the power hall. The guardhouses were converted offices. The first recruits arrived at the facility on April 17, 1861, four days after the surrender at Fort Sumter. Originally the facility had difficulties accommodating so many men and the necessary equipment, tents, and food to support them, but in a few weeks order was eventually established. The soldiers had to bathe in Fall Creek
. Many residents of Indianapolis saw the camp as a center of attraction.
on February 15, 1862, near present-day Clarksville, Tennessee
, Governor Morton informed Union general Henry W. Halleck that Camp Morton could hold 3,000 Confederate prisoners. On February 22, over 3,700 Confederate prisoners arrived at the camp. Having just come from battle, having suffered from lack of adequate food and clothing, and being unused to Northern winters, the death rate among the unfortunate Confederate prisoners was high. March 1862 saw the deaths of 144 prisoners. Local residents of Indianapolis felt sorry for the Confederate prisoners, and provided the necessary food, clothing, and nursing to keep most of the prisoners alive.
Governor Morton had assigned Colonel Richard Owen
as commander of the prisoner of war camp. Owen initiated various policies regarded as "sympathetic rule" and "firm discipline". Among these policies were
When Owen left for a battlefield position, the prisoners protested. Later commandants of the camp would remove the virtual self-government, but was still far better than most Union prisoner camps. Escape attempts happened more frequently starting in the summer of 1862. In August 1862 all the prisoners had been exchanged for prisoners in Confederate prisoner camps. New prisoners arrived in 1863. Conditions were drastically worse in 1863, but then-commandant Ambrose A. Stevens returned the camp to humane conditions, providing blankets, nourishment, and nursing care. However, escape attempts were still greater than during Owen's time; some escape plans were especially elaborate, including tunnels and uprisings. An extra ration was promised to those that informed their Union captors of escape attempts. A few of these attempts were made by board planks or crude ladders.
The period of 1863 to the parole of the last prisoner on June 12, 1865 saw an average prison population of 3,214 and 50 deaths a month, with the maximums for each figure being 4,999 and 133 respectively. It was decided that no new facilities were needed for the reopening of the prison. The creek from which drinking water was obtained was affected by limestone
, causing diarrhea among the visitors. Another change was that the federal government had control of the prisoners, whereas in 1862 the camp was mostly under state control. When it reopened, Camp Morton was to hold only infirm prisoners, but eventually other prisoners would be kept at the facility. The winter of 1863-1864, with temperatures regularly below zero degrees Fahrenheit
for a month, caused the deaths of 263 prisoners.
John Hunt Morgan
considered attacking Camp Morton during his raid through Indiana
, freeing the prisoners, but while at Salem, Indiana
chose instead to turn east towards Ohio
. Ironically, many of his men captured during the Raid were taken to Camp Morton.
In total, over 1,700 prisoners died at the camp, a number considerably lower than most Union prison camps. Within the City Cemetery, 1,616 deceased Confederate prisoners were buried; however, a fire in 1866 ravaged the cemetery office, destroying the records that gave the precise location of the burials. Many of these prisoners would be mass buried at Crown Hill Cemetery
in 1931. A monument to the 1,616 at the original burial site was moved to Garfield Park
. In 1993, the names of each fallen Confederate at Camp Morton were inscribed on ten bronze plaques.
The Indiana State Fair
returned to the grounds in 1868. The Board of Agriculture, who ran the state fair, sold the grounds in November 1891, for $275,100 to three businessmen from Indianapolis, and moved the State Fair to its present location. After 1890 the Herron-Morton neighborhood
was built on its grounds, becoming well noted due to its connections with then-president Benjamin Harrison
.
Southerners would raise $3,000 to honor Richard Owen, who went on to become the first president of Purdue University
in 1873, and his fair treatment of the Confederate prisoners, with the public debuting of the bronze bust on June 9, 1913, with the inscription:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It was named for Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
governor Oliver Morton, who was the governor of Indiana during the War. It lasted from 1861-1865. Originally intended to simply be a training ground, after the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
the former home of the Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902....
became one of more important prisoner of war camps. Not a trace of the camp remains, but Confederates who died while prisoners are buried nearby in Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, is the third largest non-governmental cemetery in the United States at . It contains of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest...
.
Creation
After the removal of United States forces occupying Fort SumterFort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
, Morton volunteered to President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
10,000 Indiana troops to invade the South. Morton looked for a place to train these new recruits. He chose the ground of the then-new Indiana State Fairgrounds, naming the facility Camp Morton, after himself. It had previously been Henderson's Grove, after Samuel Henderson
Samuel Henderson
Samuel Henderson was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Samuel Henderson was born and attended school in England. He immigrated to the United States in 1782 and settled in Montgomery, Pennsylvania...
, the first mayor of Indianapolis. It was a 36 acres (145,687 m²) tract north of the city. Its borders were loosely the present-day roads of 19th Street, Central Avenue, 22nd Street, and Talbott Street. Alabama St. runs through the center of what was the camp.
In a span of two days, the fairgrounds were quickly converted to a military facility. The barracks were cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
stalls. The hospital was originally the power hall. The guardhouses were converted offices. The first recruits arrived at the facility on April 17, 1861, four days after the surrender at Fort Sumter. Originally the facility had difficulties accommodating so many men and the necessary equipment, tents, and food to support them, but in a few weeks order was eventually established. The soldiers had to bathe in Fall Creek
Fall Creek
-In the United States:Streams*Fall Creek *Fall Creek *Fall Creek Falls , a waterfall of Lake Buchanan Populated places*Fall Creek, Oregon, an unincorporated community*Fall Creek, Wisconsin, a village...
. Many residents of Indianapolis saw the camp as a center of attraction.
Military Prison
After the fall of Fort DonelsonFort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
on February 15, 1862, near present-day Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
, Governor Morton informed Union general Henry W. Halleck that Camp Morton could hold 3,000 Confederate prisoners. On February 22, over 3,700 Confederate prisoners arrived at the camp. Having just come from battle, having suffered from lack of adequate food and clothing, and being unused to Northern winters, the death rate among the unfortunate Confederate prisoners was high. March 1862 saw the deaths of 144 prisoners. Local residents of Indianapolis felt sorry for the Confederate prisoners, and provided the necessary food, clothing, and nursing to keep most of the prisoners alive.
Governor Morton had assigned Colonel Richard Owen
Richard Owen (disambiguation)
Richard Owen may refer to:*Richard Owen , English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist...
as commander of the prisoner of war camp. Owen initiated various policies regarded as "sympathetic rule" and "firm discipline". Among these policies were
- a bakehouse for prisoners to work in and earn money for amenities
- recreational activities such as music and sports
- virtual self-government
When Owen left for a battlefield position, the prisoners protested. Later commandants of the camp would remove the virtual self-government, but was still far better than most Union prisoner camps. Escape attempts happened more frequently starting in the summer of 1862. In August 1862 all the prisoners had been exchanged for prisoners in Confederate prisoner camps. New prisoners arrived in 1863. Conditions were drastically worse in 1863, but then-commandant Ambrose A. Stevens returned the camp to humane conditions, providing blankets, nourishment, and nursing care. However, escape attempts were still greater than during Owen's time; some escape plans were especially elaborate, including tunnels and uprisings. An extra ration was promised to those that informed their Union captors of escape attempts. A few of these attempts were made by board planks or crude ladders.
The period of 1863 to the parole of the last prisoner on June 12, 1865 saw an average prison population of 3,214 and 50 deaths a month, with the maximums for each figure being 4,999 and 133 respectively. It was decided that no new facilities were needed for the reopening of the prison. The creek from which drinking water was obtained was affected by limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, causing diarrhea among the visitors. Another change was that the federal government had control of the prisoners, whereas in 1862 the camp was mostly under state control. When it reopened, Camp Morton was to hold only infirm prisoners, but eventually other prisoners would be kept at the facility. The winter of 1863-1864, with temperatures regularly below zero degrees Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
for a month, caused the deaths of 263 prisoners.
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
considered attacking Camp Morton during his raid through Indiana
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
, freeing the prisoners, but while at Salem, Indiana
Salem, Indiana
Salem is a city in Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, United States. Salem serves as the county seat, and its downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places...
chose instead to turn east towards Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Ironically, many of his men captured during the Raid were taken to Camp Morton.
After the war
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, is the third largest non-governmental cemetery in the United States at . It contains of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest...
in 1931. A monument to the 1,616 at the original burial site was moved to Garfield Park
Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens
Garfield Park is a regional city park in Indianapolis, Indiana. Established in the late 19th century, it is the oldest city park in Indianapolis and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is located at the confluence of Pleasant Run and Bean Creeks on the near Southside of...
. In 1993, the names of each fallen Confederate at Camp Morton were inscribed on ten bronze plaques.
The Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902....
returned to the grounds in 1868. The Board of Agriculture, who ran the state fair, sold the grounds in November 1891, for $275,100 to three businessmen from Indianapolis, and moved the State Fair to its present location. After 1890 the Herron-Morton neighborhood
Herron-Morton Place Historic District
Herron-Morton Place is a historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated to restoration and renewal. The boundaries of the neighborhood are East 16th Street on the south, East 22nd Street on the north, the alley west of North Pennsylvania on the west, and the alley east of Central Avenue on...
was built on its grounds, becoming well noted due to its connections with then-president Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
.
Southerners would raise $3,000 to honor Richard Owen, who went on to become the first president of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in 1873, and his fair treatment of the Confederate prisoners, with the public debuting of the bronze bust on June 9, 1913, with the inscription:
Tribute by Confederate prisoners of war and their friends for his courtesy and kindness.
See also
- Indianapolis in the American Civil WarIndianapolis in the American Civil WarDuring the American Civil War, Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana, was a major base of support for the Union. The governor of Indiana, Oliver Hazard Perry Morton, was a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and he quickly made Indianapolis a rallying point for Union Army forces as...
- Civil War POW Prisons and Camps
External links
- Camp Morton at Rootsweb - includes pictures of items mentioned in the article
- HORRORS OF CAMP MORTON a recount by ex-prisoner Dr. Thomas E. Spotswood
- TREATMENT OF PRISONERS AT CAMP MORTON recount of a Confederate POW with bad memories of his stay at the camp
- History of Camp Morton