Columbia Military Prison
Camp Asylum or Camp Lunancy
This is a drawing of the best accomdations that Union officers were afforded
after the Camp Sorghum, Columbia, S. C., was closed and prior to the
evacuation in 1865. Per 1st Lieutenant John Gregory Bishop Adams, 19th
Massachusetts Infantry
"There were about two acres enclosed. On three sides were brick walks; on the
fourth a high board fence which separated us from the insane. Sentry boxes were
built around the place and two pieces of artillery were pointed at us through
the fence. Inside was a wooden building used for a hospital. The frames of
about thirty small buildings were up and eleven were covered. The work had been
done by our officers, and the rebels promised to send in lumber to cover the
rest, but it never came. The eleven would accommodate about three hundred, the
rest being quartered in a few old tents. Our squad had neither buildings nor
tents, and we huddled together on the bare ground. It was so cold that we
walked most of the night to keep from freezing."
This drawing was done by 1st Lieutenant Ole Rasmussen Dahl, 1th Wisconsin
Infantry, "The Scandinavian Regiment", having been move from the Camp Sorghum,
Columbia, S. C., was closed and prior to the evacuation in 1865. In addition,
he gave us these pictures of every day life. Widely published in many books, he
published a poster of all of them. Have a copy.
Conttact me.
Daily life was a mixture of boredom and survival. While Columbia is hot and
humid in the summer, it can get pretty cold, especially for a man who has
inadeuqate clothing. A wood allocation was almost as important as food.
If a prisoner had access to cash or trade goods, there was a merhcant there to
provide what few goods were available.
POW Summary
Prison Page
My long term goal is to accumulate enough information to publish a book for
inclusion in the resources of the South Carolina Archives. If you have any
information about these or any other POWs who passed thru this came, please
E-Mail me at:
Background
