situation was aggravated by the poor living conditions the prisoners endured there, and they were interred in the cemetery in their own Confederate section. A total of 866 Confederate prisoner's graves can be found today in the National Cemetery. The Confederate graves are easily distinguishable by the pointed headstones, which were instituted under the superstition that it was a means of preventing the devil from sitting on their graves. They are buried side by side with 776 graves of Union soldiers and enlistees, making a total of 1,642 Civil War graves. Notable interments Seaman John H. Catherwood (1888–1930), Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Philippine–American War Jack D. Davis (1935–2018), US Representative Frank S. Dickson (1876–1953), US Representative Colonel Otis B. Duncan (1873–1937), highest ranking African American officer during World War I Ray Ramsey (1921–2009), professional football player References External links National Cemetery Administration Camp Butler National Cemetery Website authored by the writer Jeffrey P. Johnson, authoring a book on the entire history of the camp, from 1861 to present American Civil War army posts American Civil War prison camps Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Defunct prisons in Illinois Forts in Illinois Historic American Landscapes Survey in Illinois Illinois in the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Sangamon County, Illinois Protected areas of Sangamon County, Illinois United States national cemeteries Tourist attractions in Sangamon County, Illinois 1865 establishments in Illinois