MARIETTA – On April 23, the Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley will commemorate the history of Camp Putnam with the dedication of a marker to identify the location of the camp.

The dedication ceremony will be conducted on the 155th anniversary of the date that the first troops arrived at the camp. This event will be held at noon at Indian Acres Park in Marietta. The featured speaker will be David Mowery, author of “The Remarkable Expedition from Kentucky to Ohio” and co-author of “The Civil War Guidebook of the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail.”

The public is invited to attend and there is no cost to participate. The marker will also be dedicated to the memory of the late Dan Hinton, a founder and active member of the Civil War Roundtable. Hinton did much of the preliminary research on the history of Camp Putnam.

Camp Putnam was organized in April 1861 at the site of the current Washington County fairgrounds to train Union troops required to protect Southeastern Ohio from invasion by Confederate forces from Virginia. At that time, the fairgrounds site was the only location in the area able to accommodate the large number of troops to be stationed at Marietta while on their way to the front lines, according to a press release.

The camp was named for General Rufus Putnam, Revolutionary War officer and one of the city’s founders, and its operations were led by his grandson, William Rufus Putnam Jr. Camp Putnam was used to train troop until the end of the war in 1865 when it was no longer needed.

Camp Putnam played a crucial role in July 1863 when Ohio was threatened by Confederate raiders under the command of Brig. General John Hunt Morgan. The number of regular U.S. Army and militia troops assembled at Camp Putnam during Morgan’s raiders presence in Ohio made Marietta the largest city in the state of Ohio, a press release states.

To complement the dedication ceremony and bring Camp Putnam back to life again, a living history event will be conducted at Indian Acres Park on April 23. The living history event will feature the Army of the Ohio Civil War Re-enacting Organization. This group will participate in the dedication ceremony by portraying Company B of the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the 1st Ohio Light Artillery.

Company B was made up of soldiers from Washington County assembled under the command of Captain Frank Buell. The re-enactors group will also perform live marching and artillery drills, and provide interpretation for activities that occurred at the camp nearly 155 years ago.

Organizers are seeking financial sponsors and volunteers to support these activities. Contributions in any amount are welcomed and may be sent to “Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley Fund,” in care of Marietta Community Foundation, P.O. Box 77, Marietta OH 45750. Payments may be designated for “Camp Putnam Project.”

The Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley is affiliated with the Marietta Community Foundation. Donations to the Marietta Community Foundation on behalf of the Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley Fund are tax deductible.

Questions can be addressed to event coordinator Kyle Yoho at The Castle Historic House Museum in Marietta at 740-373-4180 or via electronic mail at mariettacastle@gmail.com.