HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

Camp Curtin

Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

Here on 80 acres stood a great training camp of the Civil War. It was named after Andrew Gregg Curtin, Pennsylvania Governor, 1861-67. Between April 1861 and April 1865, more military units were organized here than at any other Northern camp.

Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Story

When war came in April 1861, eighty acres of Harrisburg ground became one of the Union's most important training grounds, named for the state's energetic wartime governor, Andrew Gregg Curtin. Between 1861 and 1865, more military units were mustered and drilled here than at any other Northern camp. Tens of thousands of raw recruits became soldiers on this field.

Why it matters

Camp Curtin embodies Pennsylvania's central role as an arsenal of Union manpower, funneling a steady stream of citizen-soldiers into the Civil War.

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Related people

  • · Andrew Gregg Curtin

Themes & tags

Civil WarLandmark

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