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| The Story of Camp Chase: A History of the Prison and Its Cemetery, Together Description | ||
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The Story of Camp Chase: A History of the Prison and Its Cemetery, Together with Other Cemeteries Where Confederate Prisoners Are Buried, etc. By William H. Knauss Camp Chase is gone. It has disappeared without a trace. The great camp from Civil War days, which served numerous roles, from a recruiting post to a prison, has simply been allowed to slip away. Nothing remains of the old compound — nothing. Even the several creeks and ditches, big and small, which drained the camp, were obliterated by the flurry of residential development that swept West Columbus in the 1930s and 1940s. And of course the government really didn't build Camp Chase to last. All the buildings were constructed of wood planks, without foundations of formidable substance, if any, on leased property. After the war the buildings were auctioned off, and the ones that survived this sale were dismantled to build the first fence around the only reminder of the place, the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. The cemetery occupies about two and a half acres and is located a short distance south of where the compound was situated. If not for the cemetery, all would be lost. The author of The Story of Camp Chase, William H. Knauss, was a veteran of the 2nd New Jersey Infantry who had been left for dead on the frozen Fredericksburg battlefield in December 1862. Ironically it was William Knauss who years later would make it a life-passion to aid in preserving the memory of those who nearly killed him. Knauss fought local public opinion and managed to assemble enough supporters to undertake a complete restoration of a cemetery that had become a weed-choked eyesore along Sullivant Ave., forgotten even by Southerners. The first part of the book details Knauss' efforts. Camp Chase served many purposes during the Civil War. It was a "boot camp" for Ohio recruits, a parole camp for many Northern soldiers awaiting exchange, a mustering-out post, and a prison for some 25,000 Rebel soldiers. It was the prison that naturally drew the most attention. There, despite a sedentary lifestyle of incarceration, was the "drama" of Camp Chase. In the prison men died far from home and loved ones and filled the camp cemetery. This is what William H. Knauss wrote about in The Story of Camp Chase, originally published in 1906. The purpose of this Memorial Edition is to raise funds for The Camp Chase Memorial Association, Inc., a non-profit organization whose sole reason for existing is to erect a monument at the site of the main gate of old Camp Chase. A portion of the sales price of this book will be donated to the Association, and a special photo section has been added. Hardcover: 440 pages Publisher: The General's Books; Memorial Edition (1994) ISBN: 0962603406 Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches |
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