Camp Cameron closes!

Like most camps through out the Union, Camp Cameron was plagued with a bounty jumping problem. Soon after Hannibal Day assumed command of the Boston area he petitioned Washington to close the camp. He was given it if he saw fit with the right to replace the camp with either Ft. Independence or Ft Warren on the Harbor.
First he needed to wait until the lease ended on Nov, 21, 1862. He then had to find a new home for the Southern prisoners  at Ft. Independence. Because of this the Army stayed at Cameron until Jan. 22, 1863. On that date the final 75-100 recruits were transferred to Boston. Counting Camp Ellsworth,  this ended almost 21 months of military recruiting and training in the area.

Whenever the reasons for closing the camp came up the practice of bounty jumping is given. I have come to believe that this is only part of the reason. Bounty jumping was also practiced in camps that did not close. Desertion was exaggerated at Cameron by the lack of a fence. Fences though not universal in the camps were not unheard of. What was the difference between this camp and other camps that stayed open and those that had erected fences? When the regular army took over other options were now available. Yes, they had a problem with desertion. Yes, a fence could have lessened this problem. The Army had other facilities in the area, namely the harbor forts and they were not far away. Even without the problem of bounty jumping Camp Cameron may have seemed redundant. It was an expense to rent when they already owned other bases. The harbor forts where crowded so it is possible that the army did not go into this already thinking of closing the camp.  Discussion of this did begin quickly. (3) It may not have been a predetermined result, but why would the army want to continue an extra expense to maintain a property that was not working well when other option where at hand. This only becomes clearer when you consider that they would have to incur more expense to improve the camp by building a fence. Remember the forts by their very nature already had walls around them. Hannibal Day also had an office in Boston so the Fort Independence would have been closer.


DAN SULLIVAN