Camp Sorghum

Camp Sorghum was a Confederate States Army prisoner of war camp located in Columbia, South Carolina during the American Civil War.

Established in 1862 as a makeshift prison for approximately 1,400 Union officers, Camp Sorghum consisted of a 5 acre tract of open field, without walls, fences, buildings, or any other facilities. A "deadline" (boundary line) was established by laying wood planks 10 ft inside the camp's boundaries.

Rations consisted of cornmeal and sorghum syrup as the main staples in the diet, thus the camp became known as "Camp Sorghum". Due to the lack of any security features, escapes were common. Conditions were terrible, with little food, clothing or medicine, and disease claimed a number of lives among both the prisoners and their guards.