Elmira Civil War Prison Camp receives extension

ELMIRA, NY (WETM) – 160 years ago, 645 Winsor Avenue in Elmira was the site of a prisoner of war camp for Confederate soldiers. Today, a new stockade stands on the site of the former Camp Rathbun.

“It’s part of Elmira’s history and part of our country’s history,” said Douglas Oakes, board member of the Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp.

“There are only two of these in the entire country,” said Marty Chalk, president of the Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp.

A visit to the Elmira Civil War Prisoner of War Camp gives you the opportunity to get a glimpse of what it was like to be a Confederate prisoner of war in the 1860s.

“We have no running water. We have no electricity. No modern amenities, no PlayStations,” said Terri Olszowy, board member of the Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp.

“It was designed to accommodate 100 soldiers or an entire company,” Oakes said.

The camp was described by many as a hellish place to live, probably due to the widespread disease and death.

“Many of them were not in the best shape. Conditions prevailed that led to further illnesses. The main causes were probably dysentery and chronic diarrhea,” said Olszowy.

The city played a crucial role during the Civil War. This was also true for John W. Jones.

“Elmira only became a city during the Civil War in 1864,” Olszowy said.

“It was a busy place until 1965, almost 1966, until it became a prison camp. The people from the Elmira area, the units that came through here, fought in every major battle at least back east. The most important thing about Jones and this camp itself was that they identified the dead and kept records of them, so that everyone buried in the National Cemetery, all Confederates, were identified, and not only identified, but marked so that everyone knows exactly who is buried in that grave,” Oakes said.

Thanks to Jones’ work, many visitors were able to make their own connections to Elmira.

“Many of the people who come here from the south can go to the cemetery and find out where their loved ones are buried. That gives them an idea of ​​what their loved ones had to go through in that prison camp,” Chalk said.

18 News asked board members where the money came from to build the fence and how much it cost. The donor wishes to remain anonymous.

A Civil War symposium is planned for next month at Elmira College, July 26-28. More information about the symposium and how to register can be found here.