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Please note The Museum of the Reconstruction Era will be closed for house tours Wednesday, Feb. 1 - Friday, Feb. 3 due to garden renovations, and the Robert Mills House will be closed for tours on Thursday, Feb. 2 due to a private event on site.

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West Side of Saluda River

Camp Sorghum

Located on the Lexington side of the Saluda River, the prisoner of war camp received its name from the meager rations of molasses (sorghum) and cornmeal afforded its inmates. An estimated 1,400 Union soldiers were kept on the 5-acre plot. The prison site offered no shelter or latrines. Shelter at the prison proved equally Spartan with inmates seeking refuge from the elements in shallow holes covered with twigs, leaves, and pine boughs. At least 8 men died from disease and exposure. Escapes were frequent, with 373 inmates making their way to freedom by the time the camp was moved in December 1864.

  • camp sorghum

    Image reprinted from Harper's Weekly, April 1, 1865. Historic Columbia Collection 2011.1.3

34.00570671356, -81.072673771059

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Historic Columbia

© 2023 Historic Columbia

Administrative Offices
1601 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tours
All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

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