Camp morton indianapolis

Prisoners' tents, shed, Preacher's stand Parson Brownlow , Surgeon, Sutler, Picture car, Post office, Barracks, Doctor, Hospital tent, Receiving hospital, Dispensary, Prisoners' tent, Between the captured prisoners of the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson and August of that same year, it became a prison for 3, Confederates taken at the fort and was personally administered by Governor Morton.

The Victorian architecture of its prominent structures at the entrance, complete with gingerbread trim, gave the camp, in the beginning of its existence, a somewhat cheerful appearance. The 5 acre confinement area was a gently rolling plain with maple trees to provide plenty of shade. A deep runoff creek ran through the middle of the camp, but seldom contained much water except after a heavy rain. The water supply for the camp was provided by 5 wells on the property.

By the end of , the creek had become the receptacle of the camp's trash and debris. The wells had become saturated with seepage from the surrounding terrain. Within a short time after reopening, 3 barracks from Nearby Camp Carrington were dismantled and moved to camp Morton. Of the 3 barracks, 2 served as additional prisoner barracks and the other one was added to the existing hospital. Each barrack was 16x fett, divided into 4 rooms and capable of holding prisoners each.

The first camp commandant was Col. Richard D. Owen of the 60th Indiana Regiment. He had a good rapport with the camp prisoners. The capacity of the camp was originally estimated to be 2, prisoners, though 3, were crammed into the camp with the first arrivals. By April, over 4, prisoners were confined at the camp.

Following a general prisoner exchange in August , Camp Morton reverted to a troop facility until early , when it was reestablished as a prison and placed under army administration, commanded by Col. The purpose of the camp when it was reopened was to only house the sick or wounded prisoners. However, as the prison populations increased at all of the other prisons, prisoners of every classification were, again, sent here for confinement. Hoffman was replaced as commandant by Col.

James Biddle of the 71st Indiana Volunteers. Two companies of the 63rd Indiana Regiment were assigned to the camp for guard duty. On October 22, , Col. Ambrose A. Stevens of the 5th Regiment Invalid Corps replaced Biddle as commandant. By December , the number of prisoners at the camp had grown to over 3, prisoners. Camp Morton, , Indianapolis prison camp Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more?

Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Published with notice but no evidence of copyright renewal found in Stanford Copyright Renewal Database. The image above is of the monument and markers that now stand at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Reasons for properly marking the gravesite of these POWs are straightforward: the common dignity of having their names over their graves; if they would have lived they would have been considered United States citizens and had proper burial rites; recognizing their bravery, perseverance, and loyalty to a cause.

These are the reasons why individuals have felt this mass grave should be properly marked. It should be noted, that while there were individuals who felt the graves needed properly marked, there were also individuals who felt it should not have been done. After a very long process, on October 3, , a monument was placed above each of the ten boxes, which gave the name and information of every man.