Woodlawn Monument Site is located within Woodlawn Cemetery, a public burial ground approximately one mile north of downtown Terre Haute, Indiana, near the banks of the Wabash River.  In 1912, the Federal Government erected the monument here to commemorate 11 Confederate soldiers who died in a local prison camp during the Civil War.

During the Civil War, the 11 Confederate soldiers who died while in captivity at the local prison were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.  In 1912, an 11-foot tall, granite obelisk was erected in the cemetery to honor these Confederates.  Located within a circular plot at the intersection of Wabash and Central Avenues, near the south end of the cemetery, the monument features a bronze plaque, with the names of the 11 prisoners.  The monument is also known as the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Battalion Monument, as 10 of the 11 soldiers were members of that regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel George Gantt.

Woodlawn Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Terre Haute.  Established in 1839, the cemetery is the final resting place for prominent local citizens, including several mayors and congressmen.  Also buried at Woodlawn is Union Major General Charles Cruft, an Indiana native who fought at the Battle of Bull Run, and led troops at the Battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Nashville.