Columbia Military Prison
Deaths of Union Officers

No	Full Name	Rank	Unit	Co	Date	Grave
	??, Harry	Lieutenant			Oct/Nov
	Bender, William H. ( W. P. )	Captain	123 Ohio Infantry	I
	Brayton, William	Engineering Officer	USS Powhatton	*	22 April
4	Eckings ( Ekings ), Thomas K. ( C. K. )	1st Lieutenant	3 New Jersey Infantry	A	25 Nov
2	Fairfield ( Fairchild ), Otto B. ( O. P. ) ( L. D. )	Lieutenant	89 Ohio Infantry	B	08 Nov
3	Flansburg ( Flamsburgh ) (Hansbury ), David	Captain	4 Indiana Battery, Light Artillery		22 Nov	1828
	Francis, John L.	Captain	135 Ohio Infantry	F	04 Dec
	Henderson, John H.	2nd Lieutenant	14 Illinois Infantry	D	7 Oct
1	Halderman ( Halliman ( Haideman ( Holderman ), John	Lieutenant	129 Illinois Infantry	D	13 Nov	1826
7	Jackson, John	1st Lieutenant	4 Indiana Cavalry	I	21 Nov
	Jackson, Robert W.	Lieutenant	21 Wisconsin Infantry	C
	Kauff, Jairus	2nd Lieutenant	143 Pennsylvania Infantry	I	31 Oct
	Parker, Robert Bates ( Edward B. )	2nd Lieutenant	1 Vermont Heavy Artillery	B	13 Oct (1)
5	Spafford, Ara ( Asa ) ( A. C. )	2nd Lieutenant	21 Ohio Infantry	C	14 Oct	1824
	Stahl, D. Andrew	1st Lieutenant	49 Pennsylvania Infantry	I	26 Sep
	Turbayne, George	Lieutenant	66 New York Infantry	F/C	1 Dec
6	Wenrick ( Wenick ), James E.	Captain	19 Pennsylvania Cavalry	E	13/28 Oct	1822
	Young ( Youniz ), Alvin George	2nd Lieutenant	4 Pennsylvania Cavalry	F	22 Oct

Note:
There may very well have been more than these 18 officers died in Columbia but have no records to list. The drawing made in Feb or March 1865 indicates maybe 20 or so headstones but there could have been more or some not marked, It is a drawing and the rubble in the background purports to be the remains of the camp. Every POW Report I have read states they burned the camp before they were moved into the State Lunatic Asylum. Contrary to the Harper Weekly statement, most appear to have died of disease (yellow fever), the reason the POW's were moved from Charelston to Columbia. Known exceptions are Lieutenant Parker, who was mauled by blood hounds in a failed escaped attempt, and Lieutenant's Young and Turbayne, who were shot for being too close to the "dead line". Union officers claim they were no closer than others had been or were but the CSA soldiers were not disciplined. I feel reasonably certain these were the only non-disease deaths at Columbia. First hand reports state that there was plenty of random firing into the camp, especially at night, but I have not other reported deaths. It may have been done to keep their "heads down".
There is an account that there "many" men buried when they first arrived from Charleston and shortly thereafter, with no proper markings being allowed But only Lieutenant Stahl appears to have been buried in that period. My feeling is that there were more who died and their graves and names are known but to God.
I have been criticizied for a lighter touch on my site and I accept that as valid. I am a native Columbian and have probably at least one great great grandfather who served here as a guard. I am feel neither pride nor shame for that fact. From all my readings, this was not a bad POW Camp for the period, But nothing can be sadder than the death of any man, especially a man fighting for what he believes is right, who ends his life in a POW camp. The frustration must be unbearable. For that reason, I have listed these men as a group, in addition with the other POW's. They deserve special notice for the total price paid.

Much has been written about the deaths of POWs in Southern hands, indicating a certain indifference at best, cruelity at worse, and the Guards are always portrayed as beasts. The fact is most guards fared little better than the POWs in food, clothing and housing. This list of guards at Columbia who died serving thier cause is proof of that. There were never more than 500 guards and the death rate exceeds that of those men they guarded. I am quite sure that more than these 32 men and boys died in Columbia than these but have no records to list.

Lastly, to insure the casual reader of these pages will keep the deaths of Union POWs in the hands of the Confederacy in perspective, after the conflict came to an end the War Department published figures to show that of the 200,000 members of the Confederate Army captured, over 26,500 died in captivity. Of the 260,526 prisoners that the Confederates took, 22,526 members of the Union Army died. This indicated that 13% of Confederate prisoners died compared to 8 per cent of Federal prisoners. In February, 1863, out of 3,884 prisoners, 387 died at Camp Douglas in Chicago, or almost exactly ten per cent mortality rate for one month not reached by any other large prison during the war.

There is every indication that the graves were moved from Columbia to the Florence National Cemetery in Florence, SC. The Grave Number column is in the cemetery. The others were also moved and probably to Florence. There are several thosuand unmarked graves and the others may well rest there.
Notes: (1) Lt. Robert Bates Parker of Company B 11th Vermont Volunteers (aka 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery Regiment) was captured June 23 1864 south of Petersburg among 28 officers from the 4th and 11th Vermont Regiments of the Vermont Brigade. I believe all but one were sent to Charleston and then on to Columbia where they spent the winter. Parker escaped 5 Oct 64 with Lt. Henry R. Chase (Co. E 11th VT) from a train at Branchville, Ga while being transported from Charleston to Columbia. Chased down by Confederate blood hounds on October 6, Parker was viciously attacked and literally torn apart. Taken to Columbia he lingered for several days and died on October 13th.

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