Inside Camp Morton

Description:	Up to 5,000 Confederates were held in the camp at one time. The ditch, which prisoners called the Potomac, flooded in rainy seasons, while in hot weather it disappeared except for a few stagnant pools. They were supposed to wash their clothes in it. Camp Morton contained approximateely 36 acres of land. Today that land is borderd by Nineteenth Street, Talbott Avenue, Twenty-second Street, and Central Avenue. The fence around the prison was made of 2 inch thick oak planks. A ditch ran through the property to accomodate the overflow from Fall Creek during spring rains. It was called the State Ditch. The prisoners called it the Potomac. (Information from Camp Morton 1861-1865: Indianapolis Prison Camp, by Hattie Lou Winslow and Joseph R. H. Moore, Indiana Historical Society, 1995. IHS Call Number: E616.M8 W56 1995.)
Origin:	Circa 1864-1865
Created By:	Eugene F. Drake of Company I, 60th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, employed for guard and garrison duty in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1864.
Publisher:	Digital image 2004 Indiana Historical Society. All Rights Reserved.
Source:	http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/dc008/id/3
Collection:	Civil War Materials
Copyright:	This image may be printed or downloaded by individuals, schools or libraries for study, research or classroom teaching without permission. For other uses contact: mailto:visualcollections@indianahistory.org
Geography:	Indiana--Indianapolis
Subjects:	Prisons Prisoners of war Prisoners Camp Morton (Ind.) Indianapolis (Ind.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons

Further information on this record can be found at its source.