Camp Andy Johnson

Camp Andy Johnson. Union Recruiting Camp. Camp Andy Johnson was established…east of Barbourville and there under temporary shelter of brush and rough huts the men were cared for. Cooking utensils were gathered from the surrounding country and provisions bought through a citizen of the village. The men were without blankets, some wee shoeless and nearly all were poorly clad. Samuel P. Carter, Though the exact location may never be known, it is generally accepted that Camp Andy Johnson was located on what is today Union College campus. The Union recruiting camp was founded in August 1861 by East Tennessee Unionist Samuel Powhattan Carter and James Carter. The Carter brothers chose Barbourville because it was a safe location. Tennessee Unionists were not safe in Confederate Tennessee. Those trying to reach Camp Andy Johnson had to elude patrols set up to stop the flow of men leaving Tennessee for Kentucky., Camp Andy Johnson suffered from a lack of basic equipment. The camp was short on weapons, adequate shoes and clothing. Housing was primitive, the men building shelters from whatever was available. These hardships did not deter the men, who wanted only to join the army and free their families from Confederate oppression. Camp Andy Johnson existed for only about a month but during that time over 1,000 men made the journey from East Tennessee to Barbourville to join the Union army. These men formed the core of the First and Second East Tennessee Infantry Regiments, which served throughout the Civil War., (captions) , Top. Samuel P. Carter , Middle: An artist’s depiction of Camp Andy Johnson (courtesy Knox Historical Museum) , Bottom: Camp Andy Johnson was named for Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, above, the only senator from a seceding state who remained loyal. Johnson later became the 17th President of the United States. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division LC-US761 447)