Point Lookout State Park

Point Lookout State Park

Company type	State park
Industry	Recreation, Historic preservation
Founded	1963
Headquarters	Point Lookout, Maryland , United States
Area served	St. Mary's County, Maryland
Products	Public recreational facilities, historic site preservation
Website	dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/southern/pointlookout.aspx

Point Lookout State Park serves as both a historic landmark and a public recreational area situated at Point Lookout, the southernmost tip of a peninsula where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Potomac River in St. Mary's County, Maryland. This park preserves the location of a Civil War-era prisoner of war facility and the Point Lookout Light, which was constructed in 1830. It represents Maryland's furthest southern point along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Colonial period

In 1608, Captain John Smith, commissioned by the British Crown to explore the Mid-Atlantic region, made landfall at Point Lookout. He noted the area's plentiful wildlife, rich soil, and its strategic military advantage overseeing the junction of the Potomac River, Patuxent River, and St. Mary's River, as well as its commanding view of the Chesapeake Bay. These attributes established it as an ideal site for British settlement.

The nearby establishment of Maryland’s first colony occurred in 1634 at St. Mary's City. Point Lookout was incorporated into St. Michael's Manor, a significant estate owned by Leonard Calvert, who led the colony and served as Maryland’s inaugural proprietary governor.

Owing to its strategic importance, Point Lookout became a target for British military operations during the American Revolution.

Origin of area name, "Point Lookout"

The designation "Point Lookout" originated from its function as an observation post used to track British naval movements during the War of 1812.

Throughout this conflict, the Chesapeake Bay was a vital corridor for British naval forces, who set up a base at nearby Tangier Island, Virginia, commanded by Rear Admiral George Cockburn. From this position, British troops launched raids on coastal settlements and farms, culminating in the burning of Washington, D.C. and an unsuccessful assault on Baltimore between 1813 and 1814.

Citizen militia post riders

A clandestine militia group from St. Mary's County maintained a covert outpost at Point Lookout to surveil British ships. They implemented a nighttime system of relay riders who transmitted intelligence over an 80-mile distance to Washington, D.C., ensuring that President James Madison remained informed despite challenging terrain conditions.

British forces take Point Lookout

Following more than a year of secretive operations, British forces captured and occupied Point Lookout, overpowering the local militia. This defeat hindered American intelligence activities and played a role in the Burning of Washington in August 1814. Subsequently, President Madison and Secretary of War John Armstrong, Jr. faced criticism for their inadequate support of the militia stationed at Point Lookout.

Establishment of prisoner-of-war camp

In 1862, during the American Civil War, Point Lookout was transformed into a major military center that included a Union Army hospital, a garrison linked to Fort Lincoln, and an extensive Union prisoner-of-war camp detaining Confederate captives.

Conditions and prisoners of war

During the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Union troops took custody of thousands of Confederate captives. Camp Hoffman, commonly called Point Lookout, was a 40-acre detention facility situated north of Hammond Hospital. The camp was enclosed by a 15-foot tall wooden fence, with sentries patrolling the top.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that approximately 4,000 out of the 50,000 inmates housed in tents at Point Lookout perished—a mortality rate near 8 percent, which was less than half the fatality rate experienced by soldiers actively engaged in combat. Designed initially to accommodate 10,000 detainees, the camp’s population surged to between 12,000 and 20,000 after prisoner exchanges ceased. This overcrowding led to cramped tents holding as many as sixteen men and contributed to unsanitary conditions. As the largest prison camp managed by Union forces, it became infamous for its severe environment.

Mass burial site

The mass burial area contains the remains of 3,384 Confederate prisoners who died at the facility. A commemorative pillar inscribed with their names marks this grave site. Nearby lies the privately maintained Confederate Memorial Park, spanning three acres. Although a United States flag is flown at the memorial itself, a significant Confederate flag is prominently displayed just outside the entrance as a tribute to the Southern soldiers who lost their lives.

Archaeological remnants

Over 150 years, extensive erosion along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline has resulted in the loss of half of the original prisoner-of-war stockade location.

State park and recreational areas

Currently, Point Lookout State Park includes Point Lookout Light—the historic lighthouse constructed in 1830—alongside fishing piers, boat launch facilities, public beaches, camping areas, and sites linked to Civil War history. The park also attracts visitors interested in reported paranormal phenomena.

Noteworthy individuals

• Sidney Lanier, renowned poet, musician, and scholar, was held as a Confederate prisoner at Point Lookout.

In popular media

An expansion pack for the 2008 game Fallout 3, named Point Lookout, is set within a post-apocalyptic version of Point Lookout and its neighboring regions.

See also

• American Civil War
  • Civil War prisoner of war correspondence
  • Catalog of Civil War POW camps
• History of Maryland

External links

• Point Lookout State Park Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Point Lookout Civil War collection at University of Maryland Libraries