Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers S1524
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit August 16, 2018 Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Rare Books and Manuscripts 140 North Senate Avenue Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204 317-232-3671 Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers S1524
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical Note...... 4 Historical Note...... 4 Scope and Contents...... 4 Arrangement...... 5 Administrative Information ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings...... 6
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Summary Information
Repository Rare Books and Manuscripts
Creator Worthington, Thomas P.
Title Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers
Date 1980
Extent 0.01 Cubic feet 1 folder
Language English
Text [Folder] S1524
Preferred Citation Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library
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Biographical Note
Thomas Worthington enlisted in the as a private in the 1st Mississippi Cavalry of the Confederate army during the American Civil War. He fought mainly in the Western Theater, but was captured on November 15th, 1863 at Deer Creek, Mississippi and transported to Prison No. 1 near Vicksburg. Worthington was eventually transported to Camp Morton in Indianapolis, Indiana where he remained until June of 1864 when his release was ordered after he took a loyalty oath. Sources Items in the collection. Fold 3. "Thomas P. Worthington." Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi. Accessed August 13, 2018. https://www.fold3.com/image/64711344?terms=Worthington,%20Thomas %20Mississippi&pqsid=NVeuciYC8Iwl30c10FFMEg:1191000:249979011.
Historical Note
Governor Oliver P. Morton--for whom Camp Morton was named--selected what was, in 1861, the Indiana State Fairgrounds as the grounds for a military training camp, a 36-acre tract just north of the city of Indianapolis (bounded by present-day Indianapolis by 19th and 22nd streets, Central Avenue, and Talbott Street). In 1862, Governor Morton answered the need for facilities to house captured Confederate soldiers by offering the use of Camp Morton. Prepared to accept 3,000 prisoners, it held 3,700 prisoners within its first month as a prisoner-of-war camp. Administration of the camp alternated between the benign (under Colonel Richard Owen) to the more severe (under Colonel David Garland Rose). Many Confederate soldiers died of exposure, unaccustomed northern winters. In all, over 1,700 prisoners died during the war, a mortality figure appreciably less than those recorded by other northern prisons.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of a photocopy of the submission “Civil War Letters of Confederate Cavalryman and Dallasite, Thomas Payne Worthington,” a contribution of 9 pages in length, excerpted from the
- Page 4 - Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers S1524 June 1980 issue of The Quarterly of the Dallas Genealogical Society (specifically, pages 91-99). The items in the compilation include 3 diary entries and 15 letters, most of the letters having been written by Thomas Payne Worthington from Camp Morton in Indianapolis, Indiana during the U.S. Civil War. A commentary by the compilers, Hazael W. Beckett and Edward W. Samuell, Jr., introduces the parts of the collection.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Administrative Information
Publication Information Rare Books and Manuscripts
Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Custodial History This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Dallas Genealogical Society Quarterly.
Accruals No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
- Page 5 - Thomas Worthington Camp Morton papers S1524 Collection processing completed 1988 by Philip N. Williams. Collection reprocessed 2018/08/13 by Abby Currier. EAD finding aid created 2018/08/13 by Abby Currier.
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
• Correspondence • Diaries • Manuscripts • War diaries
Geographic Name(s)
• Camp Morton (Ind.) • Indiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. • Indianapolis (Ind.) • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons
Personal Name(s)
• Worthington, Thomas P.
Subject(s)
• Prisoners and prisons • Prisoners of war • Soldiers • Soldiers--Confederate States of America
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