Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, 1861-1865: A Study Of The Union's Treatment Of Confederate Prisoners

Camp Chase, four miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, began in May 1861 as a mustering center for units entering Union service during the American Civil War. By June 1861 it picked up additional responsibilities of housing Confederate prisoners captured by Ohio units during the earliest military actions of the war. It eventually expanded to hold 9,423 prisoners in Jan. 1865, which made it one of the larger Union prison camps. The earliest prisoners were afforded extraordinary leniency by state aut