If you live in the Annapolis area, you’ve probably heard of Parole and think of it as a place to eat dinner and go shopping. Well, here’s your fun history fact for the day: During the Civil War, it was actually a camp where Union prisoners of war were held for exchange. As large number of prisoners were taken by both sides, the parole system allowed for them to be housed by their own side with an understanding that they would not return to military service until formally exchanged.
The famous Civil War nurse, Clara Barton, (founder of the American Red Cross), had her headquarters at Camp Parole and worked to create a registry of missing Union soldiers in addition to providing for the physical and emotional health of the men detained there. Despite the government’s best efforts to keep the camp sanitary, a large number of men died due to illnesses such as small pox and typhoid, as well as accidents and violence.
The Union established Camp Parole to hold Federal soldiers taken as prisoners by the Confederate Army. The Confederacy did not have specified camps for soldiers who had been paroled. They allowed their men to return home with the promise that they would not take up arms until exchanged, but that they would return to duty when an exchange had been accomplished. Understandably, some men took this opportunity to disappear.
The property for Camp Parole, a 250 acre farm near the Annapolis-Elkridge railroad, was leased from Charles and Ann Welch at a rent of $125.00 per month. Eighty-three buildings were eventually constructed there including a hospital with approximately 170 beds. However, the amount of men sent to the camp exceeded the facilities. As many as 20,000 Union men were camped at this location at one time during the conflict.
The property for Camp Parole, a 250 acre farm near the Annapolis-Elkridge railroad, was leased from Charles and Ann Welch at a rent of $125.00 per month. Eighty-three buildings were eventually constructed there including a hospital with approximately 170 beds. However, the amount of men sent to the camp exceeded the facilities. As many as 20,000 Union men were camped at this location at one time during the conflict.
The Annapolis National Cemetery on West Street was one of the fourteen national cemeteries established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Many of the original interments were Union soldiers who died while being held at Camp Parole.
When General Ulysses S. Grant cancelled the prisoner exchange in August 1864, Union prisoners were no longer paroled. Camp Parole continued to operate until it was closed in late June, 1865.
When General Ulysses S. Grant cancelled the prisoner exchange in August 1864, Union prisoners were no longer paroled. Camp Parole continued to operate until it was closed in late June, 1865.
Today, this history is all but forgotten as we associate Parole with shopping centers, restaurants, and apartment buildings. But only 150 years ago our nation faced its bloodiest conflict—not against a foreign nation but within itself. Nearly as many men died in captivity during the Civil War as were killed in the whole of the Vietnam War. Hundreds of thousands died of disease. Roughly 2% of the population, an estimated 620,000 men, lost their lives in the line of duty.
Let this little history lesson be a reminder to us to value human life over ambition or pride, to strive for peace at all costs, and to remember that the Present has been shaped by the events of the Past.
Let this little history lesson be a reminder to us to value human life over ambition or pride, to strive for peace at all costs, and to remember that the Present has been shaped by the events of the Past.
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