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Camp Misery, located off the bank of the Rappahannock River, was a Union Camp established in 1861. It was originally known as Camp Butler, but earned the name Camp Misery because of the horrific winter in 1862 that the soldiers experienced.
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Winter 1862
The Winter of 1862 proved to be one of the harshest winters encountered during the Civil War. Camp Butler was plagued pneumonia, cholera, smallpox, dysentery, malaria and other diseases spurred by close contact, poor nutrition, and inadequate clothing and housing. Camp Butler also held prisoners, and due to the poor health conditions within two and a half weeks over 148 prisoners had died.
The death rate at Camp Butler averaged around 3 to 4 soldiers per day and on some days the death toll reached as high as 15 men. According to the records kept by a doctor in the camp, Dr. Reece, by June 1862, 336 soldiers had been hospitalized. Because of the mass amount of deaths and harsh weather conditions recorded in this particular camp, Camp Butler was deemed "Camp Misery" by historians and civil war soldiers.
Excavation
Since 2008, Virginia's Department of Historic Resources has conducted excavations in hopes of learning more about the condition of life in Camp Butler. However, may be brought to a halt by the planned 2017 construction of a new high school. James Madison University and the Stafford County School System have begun to excavate a street located in Camp Butler looking for clues to Civil War life.