Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery

Buckeye Bill

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Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin County, Ohio, six miles west of downtown Columbus. The federal government purchased the site in 1879.

* Sketch of Federal Camp Chase near Columbus, Ohio

Camp Chase.jpg


Camp Chase shifted from a training camp for Union Army recruits to a prisoner-of-war camp early in the war. The facility was named after Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln, and former governor of Ohio. The first inmates at Camp Chase were chiefly political and military prisoners from Kentucky and Western Virginia allegedly loyal to the Confederacy. Union victories at Fort Donaldson, Tennessee, on Feb. 16, 1862, and at Mississippi River Island No. 10, on April 8, 1862, brought an influx of prisoners. All of the officers taken at these battles were moved to Camp Chase, save for generals and field officers, who were sent to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor.

* Photo of Camp Chase

Camp Chase 1.jpg


The establishment of the Confederate Stockade on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie led to the transfer of most of the officers to the new prison. Subsequently, enlisted men and non-commissioned officers made up the bulk of the Confederate soldiers confined at Camp Chase. By 1863 Camp Chase held 8,000 men, the peak of the prison population. Similar to many prisons in the north, Camp Chase was ravaged by disease; during late 1864, a smallpox epidemic resulted in many deaths.

Prior to the establishment of the cemetery at Camp Chase, the Confederate dead were interred in the city cemetery of Columbus. Their remains were re-interred in the prison cemetery after its opening. In addition, the remains of 31 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, were removed to Camp Chase Cemetery shortly after the cessation of the Civil War.

By the mid 1890's, efforts began to mark the graves of the Confederate dead within Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Led by William H. Knauss, a wounded Union veteran, this movement succeeded in bringing together both Union and Confederate veterans organizations to pay tribute to those interred in the cemetery. In 1904, Congress allocated funds for the maintenance of Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery.

Officially, there is an estimate of 2,168 remains in 2,122 gravesites in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. However, this does not match the inscription on the Boulder monument.

The Camp Chase site, including the Confederate Cemetery, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

* Ohio Historical Marker at Camp Chase just west of downtown Columbus, Ohio

DSC_0956.JPG


* Ohio Historical Marker "Camp Chase" opposite side

DSC_0957.JPG


* United Daughters of the Confederacy Plaque

DSC_0961.JPG


* The Camp Chase Monument

DSC_0962.JPG


* Base of Camp Chase Memorial

DSC_0968.JPG


* Veterans Administration Marker "Camp Chase"

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* Confederate Graves

DSC_0972.JPG


* A Cannonball Memorial near front gate to Camp Chase

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* Rest in Peace

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* Photos courtesy of William Bechmann (June 10th, 2015)
 
This location is about a 2o minute drive from my house, and if you didn't notice, Bill, the cemetery is the only trace of Camp Chase that remains. As you saw, the rest is a not-entirely-safe urban neighborhood with a park and a school nearby. That's not a neighborhood where you want to be out alone after dark, but it's okay during the daytime.

On your next visit, be sure to visit nearby Greenlawn Cemetery. There are a lot of really interesting graves there, including World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, and one of the Andrews Raiders. It's also where the Union dead from Camp Chase are buried, mostly of disease.

I wish I had known you were in town today. I would have cleared some time from my schedule to meet up with you.
 
Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin County, Ohio, six miles west of downtown Columbus. The federal government purchased the site in 1879.

* Sketch of Federal Camp Chase near Columbus, Ohio

View attachment 70393

Camp Chase shifted from a training camp for Union Army recruits to a prisoner-of-war camp early in the war. The facility was named after Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln, and former governor of Ohio. The first inmates at Camp Chase were chiefly political and military prisoners from Kentucky and Western Virginia allegedly loyal to the Confederacy. Union victories at Fort Donaldson, Tennessee, on Feb. 16, 1862, and at Mississippi River Island No. 10, on April 8, 1862, brought an influx of prisoners. All of the officers taken at these battles were moved to Camp Chase, save for generals and field officers, who were sent to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor.

* Photo of Camp Chase

View attachment 70394

The establishment of the Confederate Stockade on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie led to the transfer of most of the officers to the new prison. Subsequently, enlisted men and non-commissioned officers made up the bulk of the Confederate soldiers confined at Camp Chase. By 1863 Camp Chase held 8,000 men, the peak of the prison population. Similar to many prisons in the north, Camp Chase was ravaged by disease; during late 1864, a smallpox epidemic resulted in many deaths.

Prior to the establishment of the cemetery at Camp Chase, the Confederate dead were interred in the city cemetery of Columbus. Their remains were re-interred in the prison cemetery after its opening. In addition, the remains of 31 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, were removed to Camp Chase Cemetery shortly after the cessation of the Civil War.

By the mid 1890's, efforts began to mark the graves of the Confederate dead within Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Led by William H. Knauss, a wounded Union veteran, this movement succeeded in bringing together both Union and Confederate veterans organizations to pay tribute to those interred in the cemetery. In 1904, Congress allocated funds for the maintenance of Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery.

Officially, there is an estimate of 2,168 remains in 2,122 gravesites in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. However, this does not match the inscription on the Boulder monument.

The Camp Chase site, including the Confederate Cemetery, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

* Ohio Historical Marker at Camp Chase just west of downtown Columbus, Ohio

View attachment 70395

* Ohio Historical Marker "Camp Chase" opposite side

View attachment 70396

* United Daughters of the Confederacy Plaque

View attachment 70397

* The Camp Chase Monument

View attachment 70398

* Base of Camp Chase Memorial

View attachment 70399

* Veterans Administration Marker "Camp Chase"

View attachment 70400

* Confederate Graves

View attachment 70401

* A Cannonball Memorial near front gate to Camp Chase

View attachment 70402

* Rest in Peace

View attachment 70403

* Photos courtesy of William Bechmann (June 10th, 2015)
Interesting post bill, a little bit different then your normal posts
 
My trip was a last minute thing, Eric.

Next time I am in Columbus, we can meet for lunch (my treat).

Thanks for the information on Camp Chase and Greenlawn Cemetery.

Bill
 
Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin County, Ohio, six miles west of downtown Columbus. The federal government purchased the site in 1879.

* Sketch of Federal Camp Chase near Columbus, Ohio

View attachment 70393

Camp Chase shifted from a training camp for Union Army recruits to a prisoner-of-war camp early in the war. The facility was named after Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln, and former governor of Ohio. The first inmates at Camp Chase were chiefly political and military prisoners from Kentucky and Western Virginia allegedly loyal to the Confederacy. Union victories at Fort Donaldson, Tennessee, on Feb. 16, 1862, and at Mississippi River Island No. 10, on April 8, 1862, brought an influx of prisoners. All of the officers taken at these battles were moved to Camp Chase, save for generals and field officers, who were sent to Fort Warren in Boston Harbor.

* Photo of Camp Chase

View attachment 70394

The establishment of the Confederate Stockade on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie led to the transfer of most of the officers to the new prison. Subsequently, enlisted men and non-commissioned officers made up the bulk of the Confederate soldiers confined at Camp Chase. By 1863 Camp Chase held 8,000 men, the peak of the prison population. Similar to many prisons in the north, Camp Chase was ravaged by disease; during late 1864, a smallpox epidemic resulted in many deaths.

Prior to the establishment of the cemetery at Camp Chase, the Confederate dead were interred in the city cemetery of Columbus. Their remains were re-interred in the prison cemetery after its opening. In addition, the remains of 31 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, were removed to Camp Chase Cemetery shortly after the cessation of the Civil War.

By the mid 1890's, efforts began to mark the graves of the Confederate dead within Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Led by William H. Knauss, a wounded Union veteran, this movement succeeded in bringing together both Union and Confederate veterans organizations to pay tribute to those interred in the cemetery. In 1904, Congress allocated funds for the maintenance of Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery.

Officially, there is an estimate of 2,168 remains in 2,122 gravesites in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. However, this does not match the inscription on the Boulder monument.

The Camp Chase site, including the Confederate Cemetery, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

* Ohio Historical Marker at Camp Chase just west of downtown Columbus, Ohio

View attachment 70395

* Ohio Historical Marker "Camp Chase" opposite side

View attachment 70396

* United Daughters of the Confederacy Plaque

View attachment 70397

* The Camp Chase Monument

View attachment 70398

* Base of Camp Chase Memorial

View attachment 70399

* Veterans Administration Marker "Camp Chase"

View attachment 70400

* Confederate Graves

View attachment 70401

* A Cannonball Memorial near front gate to Camp Chase

View attachment 70402

* Rest in Peace

View attachment 70403

* Photos courtesy of William Bechmann (June 10th, 2015)
 
Bill, thank you for this thread. You've posted so many excellent photos here. In my opinion, the photo you so humbly titled "Confederate Graves" just about tears my heart out.

Now...I think everyone here probably knows that I am neither a Union nor a Confederate apologist. I have been on record for a long time as loving and honoring ALL the magnificent boys who fought in this horrible war.

Man, looking at those Confederate graves receding into the distance and seeming to go on forever...... that just takes the wind out of me. It breaks my heart. I know there are places where we could see similar displays of Union graves. That would also break my heart.

But your photo of those Confederate graves is about as evocative as anything I have ever seen!

Thank you, Bill.

Pat
 
Bill, thank you for this thread. You've posted so many excellent photos here. In my opinion, the photo you so humbly titled "Confederate Graves" just about tears my heart out.

Now...I think everyone here probably knows that I am neither a Union nor a Confederate apologist. I have been on record for a long time as loving and honoring ALL the magnificent boys who fought in this horrible war.

Man, looking at those Confederate graves receding into the distance and seeming to go on forever...... that just takes the wind out of me. It breaks my heart. I know there are places where we could see similar displays of Union graves. That would also break my heart.

But your photo of those Confederate graves is about as evocative as anything I have ever seen!

Thank you, Bill.

Pat

Thank you, Pat!

I wanted to visit this cemetery in 2011 but my plans were interrupted by family matters.

Today was a great day to travel northeast to Columbus, Ohio to visit a friend (new member : Linda Dye), visit the Ohio State University campus and pay my respects to the Confederate deceased at the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery.

I was very impressed with this cemetery but in all honesty, it broke my heart. I have visited a ton of Union and Confederate cemeteries. My visits always end with a sad heart and a couple shakes of the head.

I am glad the Camp Chase Monument states "Americans" across the arch and the United States of America flag flies high over these graves.

An extremely humbling venue.....

Bill
 
Thank you, Pat!

I wanted to visit this cemetery in 2011 but my plans were interrupted by family matters.

Today was a great day to travel northeast to Columbus, Ohio to visit a friend (new member : Linda Dye), visit the Ohio State University campus and pay my respects to the Confederate deceased at the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery.

I was very impressed with this cemetery but in all honesty, it broke my heart. I have visited a ton of Union and Confederate cemeteries. My visit always ends with a sad heart and a shake of the head.

I am glad the Camp Chase Monument states "Americans" across the arch and the United States of America flag flies high over these graves.

An extremely humbling venue.....

Bill
"Americans" ...that is beautiful. I have GOT to see that soon. Thanks for telling us about it!
 
A direct ancestor spent the last ten months of the war there, being paroled on May 12, 1865. A private in the 28th Tenn Inf, he came home broken in health and worked as a blacksmith on his less than productive farm. He lived until 1915, a full 50 years after his release.
 
A memorial stone was placed for George Valentine, a civilian prisoner, who died at Camp Chase on June 3, 1862

Here is the notation of his death from the Camp Chase books.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3...81?cc=1916234&wc=M8VN-CNG:203215501,203256101

Here's an article in the Pennsboro, WV, newspaper about the stone. If you scroll up the article there is a photo of it. Valentine is buried somewhere in Columbus, the place is not known.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=Kw8GAAAAIBAJ&pg=1724,4716942&hl=en

(PS. This is not the same George Valentine who supposedly shot Hanse McNeill in the back)

If you want to look at some of my tables from the CC records here's a link. I'm not through, though.

Camp Chase vols. 55-57
 
Here's one of the boys from Lauderdale county, TN at Camp Chase. Note that his middle initial on the grave is incorrect. His rank verifies his identity however. According to his combined service record James Peter Walker was captured at the battle of Nashville while serving with Neely's 14th TN Cavalry and sent to Camp Chase, where he died of pneumonia one month later.

James Peter Walker was the older brother of Benjamin R Walker of company M of the 7th TN Cav, the regiment I've been focusing on, and also the first cousin of CSO Rice, my relative and 1st Lieut. of co. M. James and his brother Benjamin were orphaned as children and raised by their uncle; after the uncle's death, James was the guardian of Benjamin. James married into a wealthy family and held a number of slaves in trust for his wife's children, including Cupid Walker, who ran away and enlisted as a USCT in South Carolina. James and his wife had ten children together before his death.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=14454586&ref=acom
 
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