The Largest Mass Grave In The South Is Located In the Small City Of Salisbury, North Carolina
Few places in America have a more somber affect than the national cemeteries filled with those who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom and values. And North Carolina, in particular, has one of these national cemeteries that is heavily weighted with a dull ache that will never go away. That’s because the Salisbury National Cemetery contains a series of mass graves – trenches dug (and filled) side-by-side – containing the nameless bodies of thousands and thousands of Union soldiers who died in a Confederate prison that was located only steps away.
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North Carolina is thought to have had more Confederate soldiers who fought and died during the Civil War than any other state.
However, beginning as early as 1861, there arose a dire issue of where to hold captured Union soldiers. Soon, Salisbury was selected as the site for a new prison camp. A four-story building was erected (illustrated in the drawing below) that should have accommodated 250 captured Union soldiers. A great problem arose when the number of POWs being held at the prison rose to 10,000 or more.
Soon, the Confederates were unable to provide even the simplest of necessities to the prisoners. A shortage of warm clothing and medicines to fight off infections meant the Union POWs began to perish. Some estimates indicate that over the course of the next four years, as many as 11,700 died in the prison.
Mass graves were dug in the form of long, deep trenches — as deep as 10 feet. The illustration seen below is a plaque found at the Salisbury National Cemetery. It stands overlooking the field of trenches containing the 11,700 bodies of the Union soldiers buried within.
In the decades that would follow, 1908 brought another monument to the Salisbury National Cemetery when the state of Maine erected their own tribute to those Union soldiers from Maine who died in the prison camp. In 1909, Pennsylvania built a 40-foot monument as well.
In the beginning, the prison at Salisbury was said to have been more like a country club for captured Union soldiers, although there was a tall wall surrounding the camp and it was under constant security. But over time, the overcrowded conditions eroded the quality of life for the Union soldiers. Some historians argue there are only 3,800 or so buried in the 18 trenches. The official count of 11,700 is based on an early excavation of one of the trenches.
Have you ever visited the Salisbury National Cemetery? It’s located at 202 Government Rd., Salisbury, NC 28144.
Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: [email protected]
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