page_title: Indianapolis in the American Civil War
section_title: 1865
hierarchical_section_title: Indianapolis in the American Civil War / War years / 1865
context_page_description: During the American Civil War, Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana, was a major base of supplies
  for the Union. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a gathering place to organize and train troops for the Union army. The city became a major railroad hub for troop transport to Confederate lands, and therefore had military importance. Twenty-four military camps were established in the vicinity of Indianapolis. Camp Morton, the initial mustering ground to organize and train the state's Union volunteers in 1861, was designated as a major prisoner-of-war camp for captured Confederate soldiers in 1862. In addition to military camps, a state-owned arsenal was established in the city in 1861, and a federal arsenal in 1862. A Soldiers' Home and a Ladies' Home were established in Indianapolis to house and feed Union soldiers and their families as they passed through the city. Indianapolis residents also supported the Union cause by providing soldiers with food, clothing, equipment, and supplies, despite rising prices and wartime hardships, such as food and clothing shortages.
context_section_description: News of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, reached Indianapolis at 11 p.m. on April 9, 1865, causing wild, public celebrations that the Indianapolis Journal characterized as "demented." The celebrations soon turned to sadness when news of the assassination of President Lincoln arrived on April 15. Lincoln's funeral train passed through the city on April 30, en route to Springfield, Illinois. An estimated 100,000 people waited in long lines to pass Lincoln's bier at the Indiana Statehouse, where the president's remains lay in state.
  Indianapolis residents saw much activity in the drawdown of military forces at the end of the war. The last military troops organized in Indianapolis was the 156th Indiana, which mustered into service on April 12 for a year of service. In June formal receptions honored soldiers who returned home. On June 12 the last Confederate prisoner was parrolled at Camp Morton. On July 25 a military wagon train, 28 miles (45 km) in length, passed through the city. By the autumn of 1865 the city's Soldiers' Home and Ladies' Home had closed, as did most of the city's military camps after the soldiers left Indianapolis.
caption: The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Indianapolis was built to honor the war dead.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2005:12:13 11:12:40", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "194", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9350", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9230", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/500", "EXIF FNumber": "14", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2005:10:29 15:44:28", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2005:10:29 15:44:28", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "293791/32768", "EXIF ApertureValue": "249519/32768", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "18", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1897", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2500", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "9208", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1728000/437", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "384000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}