Camp Stanton, located in Southern Maryland on the west side of the Patuxent River in Charles County, was established in October 1863 for the purpose of recruiting and training African-American men of Maryland for the Union Army. At this site, strategically located in the heart of Maryland’s slaveholding region, freedom seekers as well as free blacks were enlisted to form the 7^th, 9^th, 19^th and 30^th Colored Infantries of the United States Colored Troops (USCT). From the time the camp was established in October 1863 until it was abandoned and destroyed in March 1864, Camp Stanton played a pivotal role in the quest for freedom for men in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Maryland ultimately raised six regiments totaling over 8700 African American soldiers.  The site is currently interpreted by a historic marker near the village of Benedict.