The columns marked "Died" are not included in the count with the men who survived the facility. This was done for space reasons. The totals at the bottom combine the Survivors and Died for my purposes.

The columns "CMP" "Died" "Jail" and "Died" are those men I am as sure as I can be were at one of the three facilities in Columbia.

The columns "NOT @ CMP" and "Died" are those men I am as sure as I can be were not at one of the three facilities in Columbia, at some time.

The column marked "NOT Sure" and "Died" are those who there is indication were either moved South from Libby in Richmond or captured in the South but I can find no indication that they were in Columbia. They may have died elsewhere, were exchanged or paroled along the way. or escaped in any of the train rides they were on.

Likewise, I am equally sure that men did not always give their right name or unit. I have several men, same rank and same less than common surname, one listed as USCT and the other from a State unit. There was an order that stated that any white leading armed "colored men" would be considered in armed revolt (interesting concept) against the CSA and would be subject to hanging. There is also one man who is listed as exchanged in Aug 1864 and a POW in Sept and another listed in CMP but buried in Andersonville. Could have been a smart enlisted man who gave himself a promotion for what was better if not good treatment afforded officers.

The next 3 listings contains both enlisted men than officers but since I gathered them up, I decided to list them for whatever use you may have.

Danville, Virginia was a somehwat smaller camp nad was used during most of the conflict as a lyouver point, from to the other prison camps. Towards the very end, rail service had been disrupted and officers started to be housed there.

Richhland County Jail was used to house both officers and enlisted men from 1861 thru the late spring of 1864. When it was decided to move the officers to Columbia, the enlisted men were sent to either Florence, SC or to Andersonville. There were a number of Naval personnel there capture in actions around Charleston. They were also moved but I have been unable to determine where.

Charleston County Jail was used to house both officers and enlisted men from 1861 thru the late spring of 1864. When it was decided to move the officers to Columbia, the enlisted men were sent to either Florence, SC.

The information on the individuals can be seen by clinking on the total count for each category.

State Name	CMP	Died	Jail	Died	Total		NOT @ CMP	Died	Total		NOT Sure	Died	Total		Danville	Richland Jail	Charleston Jail		Total POWs
Connecticut	50		5		55		13	1	14		8		8		7	1	2		87
Delaware	1				1		1		1		2		2		2		0		6
District of Columbia	1				1										4				5
Georgia			1		1														1
Illinois	88	2			90		21		21		75		75		3				189
Indiana	71	2			73		29	7	36		60	1	61		8	56			234
Iowa	43				43		6	2	8		4		4		5				60
Kansas	1				1		1		1										2
Kentucky	28				28		13	3	16		27		27		7	2	3		83
Maine	27		1	3	31		1		1		20		20		12	4	1		69
Maryland	24				24		25	3	28		20		19	1	7				79
Massachusetts	56		1		57		13	4	17		31	1	32		38	1	3		148
Michigan	53		2		55		9	5	14		24		24		10	2	50		155
Minnesota	7				7	2			2		1					2			10
Missouri	14				14		3		3		5		5						22
New Hampshire	7		1		8		1		1						9	3			21
New Jersey	21	1			22		5	1	6		10		10		9		1		48
New York	241	1	1		243		23	10	33		102		102		171	43	89		681
North Carolina	1		1		2		2	1	3						2				7
Ohio	196	4			200		54	10	64		51	1	52		18	4	2		350
Pennyslvania	218	4	4		226		32	4	36		126		126		123				511
Rhode Island	15				15		2		2		3		3		6	2			28
Tennessee	31		1		32		21	3	24		20	1	21		11				88
Vermont	32	1	1		34		2		2		7		7		2	2	1		48
Virginia	1				1						4	1	5		3	1	5		15
West Virginia	17				17		3		3		19		19		19	14			53
Wisconsin	29	1			30		15	3	18		16		16		10	2			76
U. S. Colored Troops	21		8		29		15	3	18		16		16		10	2			51
U. S. Navy	3		35	1	39		5	1	6		20		20		9	5			77
U. S. Associates	3				3						11		11						14
U. S. Army Regulars	46				46		13	2	15		38		38		16	4	3		122
UnKnown Unit and/or State	10	1	2		13			2	2		54		54		2				71
Total POW's	1,356	17	64	4	1.441		320	63	383		761	6	767		516	144	160		3,411
State Name	CMP	Died	Jail	Died	Total		NOT @ CMP	Died	Total		NOT Sure	Died	Total		Danville	Richland Jail	Charleston Jail		Total POWs
Total POW's	1,373		68		1.441

Estimates of such POWs are around 1,400 at Camp Sorghum, about 500 at Camp Lunacy ( aka Camp Asylum) and about 200 at the Richland County Jail. I can never be sure of the men I have listed in what groupings but I have done more research than anyone else. I welcome any corrections to any of this listings.

An interesting sideline is that on 17 Oct 1864, the officers of the nineteen union states being represented at Camp Sorghum held an election for president, with the following result:

State Name	Lincoln	Johnson	McClellan	Pendleton
Alabama	1	1	0	0
California	1	1	0	0
Connecticut	34	35	3	0
Delaware	3	2	0	0
Florida	1	1	0	0
Illinois	79	80	8	7
Indiana	72	72	11	8
Iowa	36	36	0	0
Kansas	2	2	0	0
Kentucky	13	15	16	14
Maine	25	25	0	0
Maryland	21	21	2	1
Massachusetts	43	44	5	2
Michigan	40	36	10	8
Minnesota	5	5	0	0
Missouri	10	10	0	0
New Hampshire	7	7	0	0
New Jersey	25	23	6	3
New York	171	173	29	29
Ohio	142	144	15	12
Pennyslvania	187	187	35	26
Rhode Island	13	13	0	0
Tennessee	26	31	0	0
Vermont	29	29	1	1
West Virginia	19	19	1	1
Wisconsin	19	19	1	0
Total	1,024	1,031	143	112

These results were found in the diary of Captain Alonzo M. Keeler, 22nd Michigan Infantry, Company B, in temporary command of his regiment when it was captured at Chickamauga, Georgia, Sept 1863. I have seen a few other partial counts, differing only with the swapping of the votes casted in Tennessee, differences in Kentucky and total. I can accept that the men from Tennessee would cast more vores for Johnson since he was a home state bow. Men cast thier votes in their home state, which explains votes from Alabama and California with no units from either. They could have been U S Troops or Unionists who left home to serve in another state. The War was divisive.
A similar election was held amongst the POWs at The Richland Jail, with similar results. There were 132 votes cast, with Lincoln receiving 124 and McClellan receiving 8, per the memories of Lt. Freeman Sparks Bowley, 30th U S Colored Trrops. In spite of the negative vote (from The Southern View), the Columbia papers were much interested, and published the results.

This a roster is still in progress. This is my current best shot on those with the misfortune to pass thru these particular POW camps. The names came from many sources (primary, copies of primary, and secondary). Major sources are post war accounts and as such are subject to error and duplication. Many times, I came across a personal account that mentioned other officers, generally by rank and surname and occasionally by state. I try to validate to other lists to insure a high probability of correctness. The rank I show is the one held while at Columbia, They may have been promoted or demoted post release.

I have used 3 major sources for this data, the primary book was by A. B. Abbott. In the preface, he states, "The Appendix [i.e., prisoner list] is principally the work of J. O. Goodrich, Adjutant, 85th New York Veteran Volunteers, a Plymouth capture." However, at the beginning of the Appendix, he says, "The following Appendix is not as perfect as I could wish, yet as much so as it was possible to make it from the limited means at my command. The names were taken from the (Rebel) adjutant's book at Columbia. I have furnished the post-office address of the officers as far as I could obtain them. Those marked thus *died at Columbia, S.C." It appears to be much more a listing of those in Macon. He does not appear to have been at Camp Sorghum long when he escaped.
Special note should be made of my "not sure" lists. I ;ocated an article published in the New York Times in Feb 1865 which purported to list all Union Officers in Rebel hands. It is obvious that it was from more than one source and although it stated it was a list of officers at Columbia, I have found enough errors to not take it as gospel. I do believe that the likelihood is somewhat greater that a man was at CMP than not if they listed him.
Sources generally had either initials or just rank and surname. If I found only one W. M. Brown in a unit, I used the given name I found and the Company he was in. A company generally indicates that more data can be found in a Compiled Service record, and should be your next step. They probably served from the state they were born but some did cross state lines.

Keep in mind that there ARE errors in my work. I have tried to be as careful as I can be about inclusion but I feel sure that I could have been mistaken. The most common is most likely state (Virginia and West Virginia), unit number (easy to confuse 6 with 0, 8 and 3), and State Id (records are initials, Me - Maine and Mo - Missouri). Use the index if you can not find your guy in his "right" state. I continue to fix errors but I don't expect to ever finish.
This is a Work In Progress and I solicit any help in this effort. While I am an "Unreconstructed Rebel" and there is a distinct possibility that one or more of my ancestors served as guards here, I respect those who served on both sides and wish to honor their service in this small way. I have taken care to document both my sources and my results but I am not a historian by eduation or profession. I think that my research is absoultely the best and most complete on the subject (since I have seen no others, it made the competition easy.)

Principal Rererence Books

Allen O. Abbott, PRISON LIFE IN THE SOUTH, Harper and Brothers, New York, NT, 1866. Officers in prison in Columbia, South Carolina 1864-1865.

Willard W. Glazier, THE CAPTURE, THE PRISON PEN, AND THE ESCAPE, Goodwin, Hartford, Connecticut, 1867. Officers in Libby Prison (Richmond) and at Columbia, South Carolina 1864.

Honor In Command, Lt. Freeman Sparks Bowley;s Service in the 30th United States Colored Infantry, Edited by Keith P. Wilson, University of Florida Press, 2006

John Fraser, A petition regarding the conditions in the C. S. M. Prison at Columbia, S. C., addressed to the Confederate authorities. George L. Anderson. Lawrence Univ. of Kansas Libraries, 1962.

Asa Brainerd Isham and others, PRISONERS OF WAR AND MILITARY PRISONS, Lyman and Cushing, Cincinnati, OH, 1890. Over 2000 officers in various prisons 1864-65.

J. L. Ransom, ANDERSONVILLE DIARY, Haskell House, New York, 1881. Camp Asylum Prison, Columbia, SC.

R. Randolph Stevenson, SOUTHERN SIDE: ANDERSONVILLE PRISON, Turnbull Brothers, Baltimore, MD., 1876. Includes lists of the dead at Andersonville and officers held at Camp Asylum in Columbia, S.C.

Other Rererence 1st Hand Material (and looking for more)

Diary - 1st Lieutenant Alonzo Cooper , 12th New York Cavalry, Company F
Letter - James B. Kirk, 1st Lieutenant, 101st PA Infantry, Company H
Letter - Captain James E. Love, 8th Kansas Infantry
Diary - Lieutenant Joseph N. Whitney, 2nd Rhode Island Cavalry, Company B

Search Partial POW Rosters (56749)

If you have any information about these officers or anyone else who was in the Columbia POW Camps, please E-mail me at

and I will update our register.