Camp Anderson: The Civil War Camp and the Regiments that trained here
What was Camp Anderson?
Named after Col. Edward Anderson, Camp Anderson Was a Training Camp that was built in 1863 to house and train Volunteer soldiers in Michigan City for the Civil War. The camp itself is no longer there, but a plaque was placed where the Training Camp formerly was. After the 129nth regiment left for the rendezvous point in Indianapolis in 1864, the camp was put out of commission.
In the picture above, it shows the former site of where the camp was. it was divided into rows and sections across Woodland Avenue and Michigan street where currently today a few houses are as well as a McDonalds. Below gives a Description of the Camp and what conditons they were from a local news paper.
Despite the camp being described as Above all standards, there was one complaint from Col. Case about the housing during the winter. despite being it good condition, there was no room for the soldiers to stay in. Below is a letter that went to a Adjcutiant General Noble Requesting permission to build more lodging
The Soldiers of Michigan City
The Soldiers of the 12th Calvary(127nth infantry), 128th Infantry and 129nth infantry all went on the warpath after leaving camp between the years of 1863 & 1864. All under different colonel commanders, the Soldiers that trained in Camp Anderson set their sights to the south to Join The Union Army through numerous Campaigns and battles. , One most noteable being the Battle of Atlanta. Almost every soldier from the regiments were volunteer.
The Leaders
The Leaders of the regiments fought under the command of Generals like Scholfield and General W.T. Sherman.
- Charles A. Zollinger- Colonel of the 129nth
- Edward Anderson- Colenel of the 12th Calvary( 127nth)
- Charles Case- Col. of the 129nth until discharged due to illness and being replaced by Charles A. Zollinger
- Jasper Packard- Colonel of the 128th
The Battles fought in.
Only A Few months apart, the regiments left Indianapolis and Made their way to Join Gen. Sherman’s army for the Atlanta Campaign. They joined the XXIII Corps and became apart of the Army of the Ohio under the command of Gen. Scholfield. The soldiers saw action at Kennesaw Mountain, Love Joy’s Station and many other battles including the Battle of Franklin, where they saw heavy action. A total of 333 men among the regiments were lost in the war. the 129th had provost duty for a hudnred days until they mustered out in the fall of 1865 The 128th mustered out of service in the spring of 1866 after duty was done in Raleigh and Goldboro.
Wish to Learn more??
To learn more about the Camp and its regiments or many other aspects of the History of the County, you can go to the La Porte County Historical Society Museum or at the Michigan City Library.
About the Author
Nikolas Cabela is a common historian that took interest at a very young age. The Civil War was the spark that began a huge interest into history and how it has affected the modern world. Currently, he is in university trying to become a history teacher.
Camp Anderson: Michigan City's Civil War Camp 