Camp Chase Walking Stick

DateMay 30, 1862

MediumHickory, pigment

Dimensions36 7/8" x 1 5/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1993.708.4

DescriptionWalking stick with integral cylindrical handle ornamented with incised slightly angled parallel lines. They terminate at an octagonal segment which has relief carved text across multiple facets, reading "Camp/ Chase/ Ohio/ May 30, 1862." The remainder of the shaft is defined by two carved serpents which form a helix around the core, both with faint polychrome banding.
Label TextCamp Chase, Ohio served a site of enlistment and prison for captured Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. From early 1862 to mid-1863, numerous walking sticks with shared design elements were produced by these prisoners of war. Almost all have a cylindrical or conical grip above a faceted segment with relief carved block text, usually including the date and Camp Chase location. Like this example at Colonial Williamsburg, most have one or two carved snakes which spiral up the length of the shaft. Some have added polychrome details, especially on the snakes, and incised line patterns around the grip. One prisoner wrote in his diary that making snake canes was “all the rage” but that “there was very little variety in the patterns and all of them looked alike.”

Soldiers from both sides of the Civil War produced elaborate carvings with basic pocket knives. Large objects, like this cane, are more frequently associated with prisoner of war camps because of the practicalities of life in a frequently moving military regiment, although winter encampment fostered creativity among soldiers faced with long months of inactivity. In prisons, carvings were exchanged with guards for compensation in the form of money, goods and privileges.

InscribedCamp Chase, Ohio/ May 30, 1862