thumb|Confederate POWs at Camp Morton in 1864 During the American Civil War, Indianapolis was mostly loyal to the Union cause. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a rallying place for Union army troops. On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. for his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit from a president-elect in the city's history.Holliday, p. 24; Dunn, Greater Indianapolis, v. I, p. 217; and Leary, pp. 94–98. On April 16, 1861, the first orders were issued to form Indiana's first regiments and establish Indianapolis as a headquarters for the state's volunteer soldiers. Within a week, more than 12,000 recruits signed up to fight for the Union.
thumb|Confederate POWs at Camp Morton in 1864 During the American Civil War, Indianapolis was mostly loyal to the Union cause. Governor Oliver P. Morton, a major supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly made Indianapolis a rallying place for Union army troops. On February 11, 1861 President-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. for his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit from a president-elect in the city's history.Holliday, p. 24; Dunn, Gr,eater Indianapolis, v. I, p. 217; and Leary, pp. 94–98. On April 16, 1861, the first orders were issued to form Indiana's firs,t regiments and establish Indianapolis as a headquarters for the state's volunteer soldiers. Within a week, more than 12000 recruits signed up to fight for the Union.