Tod Barracks, 1863

One of five Civil War military posts in Columbus, Tod Barracks, named in honor of Governor David Tod, was built in 1863 as the headquarters for military administration in central Ohio. Necessitated by Lincoln’s call for 300,000 new troops, the post was constructed in two months with United States Engineer, Captain John Tod, as supervisor. Carpenters of the 88th Ohio Volunteer Infantry from Camp Chase, three miles west, built it. Tod Barracks served as a recruiting depot, a rendezvous point for new recruits, and place where soldiers mustered-out after the war. Located adjacent to Columbus’ Union Station, the post also served as a transfer point for soldiers and officers traveling through Ohio. (continued on other side)

[Side B]: Tod Barracks’ main administration building faced High Street; an arched entrance opened to a parade ground flanked by six barracks that quartered up to 5,000 enlisted soldiers. In addition, there was a guardhouse, two mess halls, small hospital, sutler’s store, and officers’ quarters and offices. The installation occupied almost nine acres and was surrounded by a twelve-foot high board fence. During the war, adjacent Goodale Park served as a campground for mobilizing regiments that could not be quartered at the barracks. Tod Barracks operated through 1866 while the Union Army demobilized. The last remnant was torn down in 1911.