Confederate Soldier Memorial, Columbus, OH
1902 (Photograph 1973)
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Confederate Soldier Memorial at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio was dedicated in 1902.
Camp Chase was a way station for immediate repatriation of captured Confederate soldiers. However, after the prisoner exchange agreement between the North and South was ended in July 1863, Camp Chase began to be a permanent prison camp for military and political prisoners loyal to the Confederacy. By the end of the war, nearly 26,000 Confederate soldiers were housed in a prison designed for 8,000 men. Punitive practices (such as reduced rations) in retaliation for mistreatment of Union captives in Confederate prisons led to many soldiers suffering from malnutrition. Many died from smallpox, typhoid fever, pneumonia, and exposure to the elements. In all, 2,260 soldiers died at Camp Chase.
A cemetery, established in 1863, is surrounded by a stone wall built in 1921. Within it are enclosed the graves of 2,199 Confederate soldiers who died while prisoners of war. A memorial arch of granite blocks, unveiled in 1902, spans a large boulder. Above the arch rests a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier facing south, and on the keystone of the arch is the inscription— AMERICANS. On the boulder is engraved "2260 Confederate Soldiers of the War 1861-1865 Buried in this Enclosure."
One of the few Confederate memorials in Ohio, the statue was toppled and vandalized in August 2017. It was repaired and reinstalled in March 2019.
The photos and description of Confederate Soldier Memorial in Columbus, Ohio are part of materials from the Camp Chase Site nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places.
Camp Chase was a way station for immediate repatriation of captured Confederate soldiers. However, after the prisoner exchange agreement between the North and South was ended in July 1863, Camp Chase began to be a permanent prison camp for military and political prisoners loyal to the Confederacy. By the end of the war, nearly 26,000 Confederate soldiers were housed in a prison designed for 8,000 men. Punitive practices (such as reduced rations) in retaliation for mistreatment of Union captives in Confederate prisons led to many soldiers suffering from malnutrition. Many died from smallpox, typhoid fever, pneumonia, and exposure to the elements. In all, 2,260 soldiers died at Camp Chase.
A cemetery, established in 1863, is surrounded by a stone wall built in 1921. Within it are enclosed the graves of 2,199 Confederate soldiers who died while prisoners of war. A memorial arch of granite blocks, unveiled in 1902, spans a large boulder. Above the arch rests a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier facing south, and on the keystone of the arch is the inscription— AMERICANS. On the boulder is engraved "2260 Confederate Soldiers of the War 1861-1865 Buried in this Enclosure."
One of the few Confederate memorials in Ohio, the statue was toppled and vandalized in August 2017. It was repaired and reinstalled in March 2019.
The photos and description of Confederate Soldier Memorial in Columbus, Ohio are part of materials from the Camp Chase Site nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
National Archives Identifier: 71988613
Full Citation: Confederate Soldier Memorial, Columbus, OH; 1902 (Photograph 1973); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Ohio; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/confederate-soldier-memorial-columbus-oh, March 22, 2023]Activities that use this document
- Memorializing the Civil War Around America
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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