Benton Barracks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benton Barracks
St. Louis, Missouri
Type	U.S. Military Post
Site information
Controlled by	Union Army
Site history
Built	August 1861
In use	1861–1865
Garrison information
Past commanders	Major-General John C. Frémont (1861) Brigadier-General William T. Sherman (1861–1862) Colonel Benjamin Bonneville (1862–1865)
Garrison	Union Cavalry, Union Army

Benton Barracks, also known as Camp Benton, was an important military camp. It was set up by the Union Army during the American Civil War. This camp was located in St. Louis, Missouri, where the St. Louis Fairground Park is today.

Before the war, this area was used for fairs and races by the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association. Benton Barracks was mainly a training center. Thousands of Union soldiers learned how to fight here. After a big battle called the Battle of Lexington, hospitals were added to the camp. These hospitals helped treat many wounded soldiers. Once the war ended, the camp was taken down. The land went back to being a fairground and race track. Today, nothing from the original barracks remains.

History of Benton Barracks

Portrait of an African American Union soldier at Benton Barracks

In 1861, Major-General John C. Frémont became the leader of the Union Army's Western Department. General Frémont decided to build a training camp at the St. Louis Fairgrounds.

What was Benton Barracks like?

The camp first had five large buildings. Each building was about 740 feet long and 40 feet wide. There was also a two-story building for the camp's commander. Benton Barracks could hold up to 30,000 soldiers at one time. By 1863, the camp had over a mile of barracks. It also had warehouses, stables for cavalry horses, and parade grounds.

The Hospital at Benton Barracks

A very large military hospital was also part of Benton Barracks. This hospital was made from the fairground's amphitheater. It could care for 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers at once. During the Civil War, this was the biggest hospital in the western United States. A nurse named Emily Elizabeth Parsons worked there. She wrote about her experiences at Benton Barracks in her diary. Another nurse, Belle Coddington, also shared her memories of the hospital later on.