Camp Curtin was a major

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

training camp in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. It was located north of Pennsylvania's state capitol building on 80 acres of what had previously been land used by the Dauphin County Agricultural Fairgrounds.

History

When news of the bombardment and subsequent surrender of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

reached Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1861,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

called for

75,000 volunteers On April 15, 1861, at the start of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln called for a 75,000-man militia to serve for three months following the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter. Some southern states refused to send tro ...

to join the Army to quell the rebellion of the Southern states. Across the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

, eager recruits responded to calls from local governmental officials to join newly raised state regiments.

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Andrew Curtin of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

issued a proclamation asking for 13,000 able-bodied men to volunteer to help preserve the Union. Within three days, thousands of men had converged at Harrisburg to enlist, but they had no formal place to organize or drill. Dauphin County officials offered Governor Curtin the use of the County Agricultural Society on the northern outskirts of Harrisburg for these volunteers. Maj. Joseph F. Knipe officially opened the camp on April 18, 1861, and named it Camp Curtin in honor of the governor (the planned name had been Camp Union). From December 1861 to March 1862, the camp was commanded by Truman Seymour. More than 300,000 soldiers passed through Camp Curtin, making it the largest Federal camp during the Civil War. By the summer of 1862, newspapers were reporting that the number of federal troops at the camp had grown so large that it took twenty tons of cooked provisions to create the rations for each of the men who were being trained for battle. Harrisburg's location on major railroad lines running east and west, and north and south made it the ideal location for moving men and supplies to the armies in the field. In addition to Pennsylvania regiments, troops from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

used Camp Curtin. The camp and surrounding area also saw service as a supply depot, hospital and

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

. At the end of the war, Camp Curtin was used as a mustering-out point for thousands of troops on their way home. It was officially closed on November 11, 1865.

1861

In 1861, between April 18 and 22, the following units mustered in at Camp Curtin: *April 18: Allen Infantry (Lehigh County), Johnstown Infantry and Johnstown Zouave Cadets (Johnstown), National Light Infantry, Pittsburgh Rifles (Pittsburgh) and Ringgold Artillery (Reading) *April 20: Bellfeonte Fencibles (Bellfonte), Cameron Guards (Cameron County), Chambers Artillery (Companies A, B and C), Citizen Artillery, Citizen Zouaves, Easton Fencibles (Easton), Hollidaysburg Fencibles (Hollidaysburg), Independent Infantry, Jackson Rifles, Juniata Rifles (Juniata County), Lancaster Fencibles (Lancaster), Lewisburg Infantry (Lewisburg), Logan Rifle Rangers, National Guards, Negly's Zouaves, Scott Guards,

Reading Artillerists The Reading Artillerists was a militia organization founded in Reading, Pennsylvania during the late 18th century. Mustering in for the first time during the presidential era of George Washington, members of this artillery unit went on to serve t ...

, Shawnee Guards, State Capital Guard, State Guards, Turner Rifles, Tyrone Artillerists (Tyrone), Union Light Infantry, Union Rifles (Delaware), U.S. Zouaves (Pittsburgh), Washington Greys, Wayne Guards, West Chester Rifles *April 21: Brigade Rifles (Minersville), Columbia Infantry, Eagle Guards, Keystone Rifles, Lebanon Guards (Lebanon), Madison Guards, National Artillery, Minersville Artillerists, Norris City Rifles (Companies A and B), Scott Artillery (Schuylkill Haven), Standing Stone Guard, Wayne Artillery, Wyoming Artillery *April 22: Allegheny Light Guards and Allegheny Rifles (Allegheny County), Anderson Greys (Companies A and B), Ashland Rifles (Ashland), Brady Alpines (Armstrong County), Burns Infantry, Cameron Infantry, which was named after J. D. Cameron of Harrisburg and was the only uniformed company at Camp Curtin as of late May, First Pennsylvania Zouaves (Pittsburgh), Llewellyn Rifles (Llewellyn), Marion Rifles (Schuylkill County), Nagle Guards (Pottsville), Pittsburgh Invincibles (Pittsburgh), Port Clinton Artillery (Port Clinton), Scranton Union Volunteers (Scranton), Tower Guards (Schuylkill County), Washington Rifles, Wyoming Light Dragoons. During the summer of 1861, multiple members of the

Pennsylvania State Legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

were mustered into federal service as members of the Legislative Guard. Within months of the camp's opening, news reports began appearing of alleged Confederate spies being caught at the camp and jailed.The Suspected Spy
and "Arrested on Suspicion." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: ''Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph'', July 8, 1861.

References

External links

Camp Curtin Historical Society
{{Pennsylvania in the Civil War History of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania American Civil War prison camps 1861 establishments in Pennsylvania Defunct prisons in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American Civil War army posts 1865 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

History

1861

See also

References

External links