Camp UptonDuring the Civil War of 1861-65, Salisbury was considered a strategic point to the Union. The two mitigating factors in the Union’s decision to have an encampment at Salisbury were the suppression of any Rebel activity and the protection of the telegraph line that ran the length of the Shore. Since there were many Southern sympathizers in the area, it was decided to form an encampment here.
The first to occupy Salisbury was the Delaware Volunteer Infantry. Initially the site was where Sharp Energy is now located. They soon moved to Upton Hill because of its high location from where they could have a commanding view of Salisbury. The troops from Delaware were soon joined by a Maryland regiment that had formed in Cambridge. They were commanded by Col. James Wallace, and the first name of the camp was Camp Wallace. As they already had a Camp Wallace in Cambridge, it was renamed Camp Upton to reflect the name of the hill on which it stood.
The camp was erected of rough-cut lumber and was constructed in a quadrangle. The barracks on the north side were reserved for the officers. The barracks on the south side housed the commissary and quartermaster departments. The buildings on the east and west were for the enlisted men. There is no known contemporary picture of the camp.
A regimental hospital was erected on an adjacent elevation where Peninsula Regional Medical Center now stands.
When the camp was filled to capacity, it had a greater population than that of the town of Salisbury.
The soldiers at Camp Upton suffered no casualties in the Civil War. In fact, they were never in a battle of any kind. The only deaths were from disease. These came about when a regiment of Union soldiers from Massachusetts was marching home from duty in the South. Either they stopped in Salisbury because of an outbreak of either typhoid fever or black measles in their ranks or they contracted the disease while bivouacking here. In any case, a total of 51 or 52 soldiers died as a result. They were buried in unmarked graves “near the camp”. That graveyard is thought to be Potter’s Field next door to Sharp Energy. Some of the graves were moved to Parsons Cemetery when Route 50 went through, and a few buttons and belt buckles were the only clue that some of the graves belonged to Union soldiers from the Civil War. Whether they were from the Massachusetts soldiers or were local, there is no way of knowing today.
14 comments:
Nice piece George , sometimes I wish the south would have won!
I'm sure they had many more conservatives.
I watched part of that series America the story of us, I really didnt realize how important the telegraph & the rail lines were to the winning of the war. Supply lines and the ability to stay up to the minute with intel is a must I quess. I enjoyed reading this.
One of the best posts EVER on this blog!
Gosh darn Yankees were everywhere.............
Excellent piece, Like to see more on the Civil War, very interesting!
George makes my Saturdays. A question: where exactly is Upton Hill?
Enjoyed this article very much - look forward to reading your history on Saturdays.
Great article, George. How about something on the Salisbury Fire of 1886 that's mentioned on the historical marker at the courthouse. Do you think the Fire Dept had as much controvery back in those days ??
An oversight in the column. Upton Hill was where the old Daily Times was situated on Carroll St. At the time of the Civil War, it was on the edge of Humphreys Lake.
I can recall an older uncle talking about his days as a student at Upton School which I think was at this site in the early 1900's(?)
My Mother attended Upton School where thr Old Daily Times was.
Friend told me of the New York encampment on the Hotton Bro. Farm. between Parsonsburg and Walston switch. He found some of the NY buttons and such at the site.
Another interesting article, George. EL
My G-G-Grandfather was in the 1st Delaware Cavalry during the Civil War. They were stationed there in 1863 but were sent to Cold Harbor and Petersburg, VA in 1864. In a diary of one of these men they refer to it as Camp Wallace.
Post a Comment