Entry No. 91 — the Chicago file — filed under: haunted
Oak Woods Cemetery (Confederate Mound)
Confederate Mound is a Civil War mass grave tied to Camp Douglas -- Chicago's own Andersonville -- where POWs who died in captivity were reburied in concentric trenches under a single bronze soldier monument. The monument's much-repeated figure of ~6,000 dead is considered inflated by historians (it lists just over 4,000 names). It sits a few sections over from Enrico Fermi, Jesse Owens, and Harold Washington.
The story
You won't find a billboard at the main gate advertising this, but tucked into the southwest corner of Woodlawn's Oak Woods Cemetery sits one of the largest Civil War mass graves north of the Mason-Dixon line. The Confederate Mound holds thousands of Southern soldiers who died in captivity at Camp Douglas—a swampy Union POW camp in Bronzeville dubbed Chicago's Andersonville. Men died daily of smallpox, dysentery, and harsh winters, buried first in quick trenches at the camp or City Cemetery before being moved here after the war and reinterred in concentric rings.
You didn't hear it from us, but the towering 1890s granite monument's headline figure of 6,000 dead is widely considered post-war fluff by historians. Take a close look at the 16 bronze plaques surrounding its base and you'll count just over 4,000 names listed. Former Confederate lieutenant governor John C. Underwood spearheaded the campaign that erected the shaft topped by a bronze soldier, selling white reconciliation while four vintage cannon markers anchored the low earthworks.
Walk a few sections over from the mound and the cemetery's historical tone shifts entirely. Oak Woods is also the final resting place for Black icons who shaped modern Chicago and the nation—including Mayor Harold Washington, Olympic champion Jesse Owens, and activist Ida B. Wells—alongside physicist Enrico Fermi, whose understated headstone sits just two miles from where he triggered the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction under Stagg Field.
What it's like
Head through the gate at 1035 E 67th St and swing by the office to grab a paper site map before tackling the 183-acre grounds. Paved roads wind past four ornamental lakes and mature trees, giving the cemetery an uncrowded, park-like atmosphere. Drive or walk down to the southwest quadrant to locate the low mound, cannon markers, and bronze soldier monument. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset, though you should verify current hours before heading out as office access can vary.
The move: Trace the mound's low earthworks and cannon markers, then walk the cemetery's four ornamental lakes to Fermi's plain headstone, a few miles from where he split the atom under Stagg Field.
- 📍 Woodlawn, South Side
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1035 E 67th St, Chicago, IL
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Nuclear Energy (Henry Moore sculpture) — Pair Enrico Fermi's simple gravestone at Oak Woods with Henry Moore's bronze sculpture 1.6 miles away, marking the exact UChicago spot where Fermi's team triggered the first nuclear chain reaction.
- Fountain of Time — Located 1.2 miles north in Washington Park, Lorado Taft's 100 shrouded concrete figures marching past Father Time offer a striking sculptural reflection on mortality.
- Stony Island Arts Bank — Situated less than a mile east, this restored 1923 bank building houses landmark Black cultural archives right down the road from Woodlawn's Civil War history.
- Garden of the Phoenix & Yoko Ono's Sky Landing — Drive 1.4 miles east to Jackson Park to shift from Civil War mass graves to a serene Japanese garden that traces its roots to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Good to know
Where is the Confederate Mound located inside Oak Woods Cemetery?
It sits in the southwest section of the 183-acre cemetery, reachable via the main paved loop roads from the 1035 E 67th St entrance.
How many Confederate soldiers are actually buried in the mound?
While the monument claims around 6,000 dead, historians consider that figure inflated; the 16 bronze plaques around its base list just over 4,000 names.
What was Camp Douglas?
Camp Douglas was a Civil War Union prison camp located in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, notorious for brutal winters, overcrowding, and high disease mortality rates.
Which other famous figures are buried at Oak Woods Cemetery?
Oak Woods is the resting place of physicist Enrico Fermi, Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and civil rights journalist Ida B. Wells.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · chicagology.com
last checked: 2026-07-19