Archaeologist to discuss Civil War prisoner of war camps Sunday

In the latest installment of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the burning of Columbia during the Civil War, a local archaeologist will offer a glimpse into the prisoner of war camps he helped excavate.

Chester DePratter, head of research at the University of South Carolina’s Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, will give a lecture Sunday titled “Prisoner of War Camps in the Midlands.”

DePratter and his team of archaeologists spent several months last year excavating a Civil War prison camp on the grounds of the S.C. State Hospital on Bull Street. The prison was known as Camp Asylum, and the area is being redeveloped as part of the new Columbia Common project.

DePratter and his crew uncovered three pits that Union soldiers used as shelter during the winter of 1864-65. The pits were discovered with the help of notes written by prisoners, and contained relics such as a button, a straight pin, an iron mug, a rubber mustache comb and a piece of fabric the color of Union soldiers’ uniforms.

The pits were surrounded by remnants of bricks that would have provided additional protection from the elements. The site of Camp Asylum also included a barracks that could accommodate 400 soldiers and what was believed to be a prison hospital.

DePratter will share the story of the work he did to uncover the site from 3-4 p.m. Sunday in the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, located at 301 Gervais St. in downtown Columbia. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on the ongoing series of events commemorating the surrender and burning of Columbia in February 1865, visit burningofcolumbia.com.

Bridget Winston

This story was originally published January 24, 2015 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Archaeologist to discuss Civil War prisoner of war camps Sunday."