Camp Butler National Cemetery
| Company type | Federal cemetery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cemetery |
| Founded | 1861-08-02 |
| Founder | William Butler |
| Headquarters | Springfield , United States |
Area served | Sangamon County, Illinois |
| Owner | United States Department of Veterans Affairs |
Camp Butler National Cemetery is a federally designated burial ground situated northeast of Springfield, Illinois and southwest of Riverton, Illinois within Sangamon County, Illinois. It derives its name from William Butler, who served as Illinois State Treasurer at the time. The cemetery is managed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Spanning roughly , it contained 19,825 burials as recorded in 2005. In 1997, it gained recognition by being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
During the period of the American Civil War, Camp Butler ranked as the second-largest military training facility in Illinois, following Camp Douglas in Chicago. After President Lincoln's 1861 call for troops, Brigadier General William T. Sherman was dispatched by the U.S. War Department to Springfield to identify a suitable training location alongside Governor Richard Yates. Due to Yates' limited knowledge of the region, State Treasurer William Butler and Secretary of State Ozias M. Hatch assisted Sherman in surveying land near Riverton, then known as "Jimtown." This area, located about 5.5 miles northeast of Springfield, was selected and formally established on August 2, 1861. By the conclusion of the war, Camp Butler had trained over 200,000 Union soldiers.
Interments at the cemetery include veterans from the Civil War, Spanish–American War, both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Additionally, it contains graves of German and Korean prisoners of war who were transferred from a burial site near Indianapolis, Indiana.
Civil War
Initially founded as a training and mustering location for Illinois troops during the Civil War, Camp Butler was soon converted to accommodate approximately 2,000 Confederate captives taken after the surrender at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, on February 16, 1862.
A specific burial section was established for Confederate prisoners who died while held at the camp. In 1862, nearly 700 prisoners passed away due to smallpox and other illnesses under harsh conditions. These individuals were buried in a Confederate-designated portion of the National Cemetery marked with uniquely pointed headstones inspired by superstition. The cemetery contains a total of 866 Confederate graves alongside 776 Union soldier graves, amounting to 1,642 Civil War burials.
Notable interments
- Seaman John H. Catherwood (1888–1930), awarded the Medal of Honor for valor during the Philippine–American War
- Jack D. Davis (1935–2018), former United States Representative
- Frank S. Dickson (1876–1953), former United States Representative
- Colonel Otis B. Duncan (1873–1937), highest-ranking African American officer during World War I
- Ray Ramsey (1921–2009), professional athlete in football