Camp Moore (3)

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Camp Moore (3) (1861-1864) - A Confederate U.S. Civil War training and induction camp established in 1861 near Tangipahoa, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Named Camp Moore after Louisiana's Civil War Governor Thomas O. Moore. Destroyed by Union Cavalry in 1864. A portion of Camp Moore was also known as Camp Tracy named for the first camp commander, General Elisha L. Tracy.

Camp Moore Cemetery in 2020.
Camp Moore Parade Ground in 2020.
Camp Moore Lithograph 1861

History

Established 12 May 1861 as a large Confederate U.S. Civil War training and induction camp at Tangipahoa replacing the overcrowded Camp Walker (1) in New Orleans. This camp became the main Confederate training camp in Louisiana, assembling and training recruits into ten company regiments. The original Camp Moore encompassed about 450 acres of woods and fields. The boundaries were described as:

"... bounded on the west by the Illinois Gulf Railroad (in 1861 it was the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern), on the south by Beaver Creek, on the east by the Tangipahoa River, and on the north by privately owned lands."

The camp trained about 25,000 of the 65,000 troops that Louisiana furnished for the Confederacy. As troops arrived they were organized into companies, battalions, and regiments. A company had from 50 to 100 men and a battalion was composed of three companies. A full regiment was usually 10-12 companies or about 1,000 men. Once organized into regiments, officers were elected and the full regiment was sworn in and shortly thereafter shipped out to the front. There were probably about 5 to 8 thousand troops in the camp at a given time.

The camp was unsuccessfully raided twice by Union forces in 1863. The camp was successfully raided by Union forces in the summer of 1863 and completely destroyed on 30 Nov 1864 by 5,000 Union Cavalry under Brigadier General John W. Davidson, (Cullum 1257). This last raid destroyed all the buildings and stores and the raiders captured the garrison flag.

Current Status

Camp Moore Museum in 2020.
Camp Moore Roadside Marker.

Operated as a historic site by the Camp Moore Historical Association volunteers, includes a museum, Confederate Cemetery, and Soldiers Monument.

The two-story museum/gift shop has a series of very interesting displays, period photographs, and many artifacts including letters written from soldiers at the camp. On the lower level is a map showing the battle sites where men trained at Camp Moore fought.

The historic site occupies 6.2 acres and sits adjacent to the Camp Moore Confederate Cemetery. Around the perimeter of the park are located six reader boards with details on each area. The cemetery area is an additional 2 acres with headstones for some of the 500 to 800 soldiers who died from diseases at the camp. Also in the cemetery area is a statue of a Confederate soldier as a memorial.



Location: Near Tangipahoa, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.

Maps & Images

Lat: 30.88492 Long: -90.51094

  • Multi Maps from ACME
  • Maps from Bing
  • Maps from Google
  • Elevation: 174'


GPS Locations:

See Also:

Sources:

Links:

Visited: 3 Oct 2020


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