Elmira Prison
Elmira Prison was a prisoner-of-war camp constructed by the Union Army in Elmira, New York, during the American Civil War to house captive Confederate soldiers.
The site was selected partially due to its proximity to the Erie Railway and the Northern Central Railway, which criss-crossed in the midst of the city, making it a prime location for a Union Army training and muster point early in the Civil War. Most of the 30-acre (120,000 m2) Union installation, known as Camp Rathbun, fell into disuse as the war progressed, but the camp's "Barracks #3" were converted into a military prison in the summer of 1864. The prison camp, in use from July 6, 1864, until the fall of 1865, was dubbed "Hellmira" by its inmates. Towner's history of 1892 and maps from the period indicate the camp occupied an area running about 1,000 feet (300 m) west and approximately the same distance south of a location a couple of hundred feet west of Hoffman Street and about 35 feet south of Water Street, bordered on the south by Foster's Pond, on the north bank of the Chemung River.[1][2]:265
During the 15 months the site was used as a prisoner of war camp more than 12,100 Confederate soldiers were incarcerated there; of these, nearly 25% (2,963) died from a combination of malnutrition, continued exposure to harsh winter weather, and disease from the poor sanitary conditions on Foster's Pond combined the lack of medical care. The camp's dead were prepared for burial and laid to rest by the sexton at what is now Woodlawn National Cemetery, ex-slave named John W. Jones. At the end of the war, each prisoner was required to take a loyalty oath and given a train ticket home. The last prisoner left the camp on September 27, 1865. The camp was then closed, demolished and converted to farm land.[3][1]
Elmira Prison has been compared to its Southern counterpart, Andersonville, due to the high death rate. However, it should be noted that the Elmira camp was much better supplied and prepared for prisoners than Andersonville would have been at the same time, leaving in question why so many men died at Elmira.
Woodlawn Cemetery, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the original prison camp site (bounded by West Hill, Bancroft, Davis, and Mary streets), was designated a National Cemetery in 1877. The prison camp site is a residential area today, and few of the city's residents are aware that the prison camp ever existed. However, there is a memorial at the site today.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Civil War Prison Camp: Hellmira". City of Elmiria, New York. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20081202041228/http://www.cityofelmira.net/history/prison_camp.html. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ Towner, Ausburn (1892). Our County and Its People: A History of the Valley and County of Chemung. Syracuse, N. Y.: D. Mason & Co. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924025959192#page/mode/2up. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ Horigan, Michael (2002). Death Camp of the North: The Elmira Civil War Prison Camp. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-1432-2.
