Civil War historian would like historical marker for prison camp

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WEST COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A South Carolina Civil War historian who has written several books about Columbia-area history would like to see an official marker placed to identify the site of a former prison camp in West Columbia.

Tom Elmore, author of Columbia Civil War Landmarks and A Carnival of Destruction showed WIS the five-acre site off Lucas Street in West Columbia where as many as 1,400 Union Army officers were kept in 1864 and 1865.

"It would be nice if someone would put some kind of marker, just a simple historic marker saying, you know 'Near or on this spot was Camp Sorghum' and just give a little brief capsule of it to honor the men who suffered and died here."

From October through December 1864, the prisoners were kept in an open field near the Saluda River. Although it did not have an official name, it was known as Camp Sorghum because sorghum molasses was the main food staple provided to the prisoners.With little shelter provided, they lived in holes dug into the ground.

As many as one-third of the men escaped. In December, the prison camp was moved to the Asylum at Bull Street because of its high brick wall. Because they were the waning months of the war, qualified guards and food were scarce.

Although the process of acquiring a marker is fairly simple, it costs $2,260 to have one installed. The applicant would have to come up with funding for the marker.

"It's a bit of a complicated thing," Elmore said. "I've talked to a couple of groups in the past who would like to do it and they were willing to do it but for some reason or another, it never came about."

The State Historic Preservation Office of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History administers the state historical marker program. Click here for requirements and details.

Since the program's inception, more than 1,500 markers have been placed at historic sites throughout South Carolina.