Union Civil War camp in Cairo once hosted up to 5,000 freed African Americans
The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers on the southernmost edge of Illinois was once the site of Camp Defiance, a Union Civil War base in Cairo which hosted up to 5,000 African Americans. Brian Mackey/IPM News
Efforts are underway to recognize important sites of Black history in southern Illinois. They include Camp Defiance, a Union Civil War base in Cairo which hosted up to 5,000 African Americans.
GUESTS:
Mark Wagner
Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Archaeological Investigations, SIU Carbondale
George Hunt
Doctoral student in history, SIU Carbondale
Don Patton
President, The Cairo Historical Preservation Project (TCHPP)