Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Camp Douglas

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, October 9, 2018

1. Camp Douglas Marker

Inscription. Named in honor of the late Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas, Camp Douglas, established in 1861, was the earliest and largest Union military camp in the Chicago area. The camp stretched from 31st Street to 33rd Place and from Cottage Grove Avenue to the east to South Giles Avenue to the west. Planned as one of the largest Union training camps, it was one of the few camps in the North to train African-American soldiers. More than 40,000 Union soldiers and approximately 30,000 Confederate prisoners were housed here during the Civil War.

Ill-designed and inadequate as a containment site for Confederate Army prisoners of war, Camp Douglas was remembered by survivors for its poor living conditions, overcrowding, inadequate medical treatment, bitter weather conditions, and a shortage of food. These factors gave rise to the high mortality rate among the Confederates imprisoned here.

While the precise number of prisoners who died at Camp Douglas is unknown, there are up to 6,000 Confederates buried in historic Oak Woods Cemetery at 1035 E. 67th Street. Historians debate reports of a prisoner breakout plot and plan to seize

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Chicago for the Confederacy. Camp Douglas was closed by November 1865.

Erected 2014 by The Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation, Alderman Robert Fioretti, Chicago Civil War Round Table, Salt Creek Civil War Round Table, Thornton Township Historical Society, and The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1865.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 41° 50.114′ N, 87° 37.054′ W. Marker was in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It was in Douglas (Bronzeville). It was at the intersection of South Martin Luther King Drive and East 32nd Street, on the right when traveling south on South Martin Luther King Drive. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 3232 South Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it was in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, October 9, 2018

2. Camp Douglas Marker

once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Theodore K. Lawless (here, next to this marker); Mahalia Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); William L. Dawson (within shouting distance of this marker); Ernest Griffin (within shouting distance of this marker); Oscar DePriest (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert W. Roloson Houses (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bishop Louis Henry Ford (about 400 feet away); John Lee Williamson (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Douglas Plaza (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. When this site was visited in the May of 2026, the site of this marker was being converted from a parking lot into a set of townhomes, and the marker was not spotted on the site. It is not known if it will be re-placed at this location after the construction is completed, if it will be

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, October 9, 2018

3. Camp Douglas Marker

Looking north along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

moved to a different location, or if it will stay removed.

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, October 9, 2018

4. Camp Douglas Marker

Looking south along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

Douglas Plaza Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, October 9, 2018

5. Douglas Plaza Marker

<i>Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas</i> image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, circa 1863

6. Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas

<i>Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. 1864</i> image. Click for full size.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, 1864

7. Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill. 1864

Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2018, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 4,880 times since then and 304 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 16, 2018, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. 6, 7. submitted on October 16, 2018. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.