The Elmira Prison Camp Online Library
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Introduction Welcome to the Elmira Prison Camp Online Library. What began as a search for my ancestry over 20 years ago, turned into a quest to uncover information about one of the infamous prisons of the Civil War. In addition to this "claim to fame", Elmira was the home of Samuel Clements' (Mark Twain) in-laws, the last regular stop on the Underground Railroad before entering Canada, and the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe's brother, the Rev. Thomas Beecher, an outspoken supporter of slavery. A Brief History of the Camp
Elmira's location made it important to the commercial growth of New York. The town was strategically located on the New York-Pennsylvania border. It was the southern terminus of the Chemung Canal and served as the entry point for much of the coal mined in Pennsylvania. It also served as the cross-road of the Erie and New York railroad systems. During the American Civil War, Elmira was in a prime location for a 30-acre Union installation originally known as Camp Rathbun, which was a Union a recruitment center, military depot, and training installation. In the summer of 1864, part of the camp, known as Barracks #3 was converted into a prison camp. The camp was in use until the end of the war. During it's use, the camp housed a total of 12,123 Confederate soldiers. Of these, 2,963 died due to exposure, malnutrition, and disease, amounting to a death rate of nearly 25%. The final prisoner to leave the camp did so on September 27, 1865. To the citizens of Elmira, the military presence was something they had come to expect and it was profitable for the town. In fact, during the prison years, enterprising citizens of the town set up catwalks on the prison walls and charged a small fee for the ability to look over the wall for a glimpse of prison life. If one is seeking evidence that winners write the history of wars, look no further than Elmira. After the war, the camp was disbanded and turned into farmland. With the except for Woodlawn Cemetery, the burial location of the camp's victims, most of the town (as well as the nation) forgot about it. This was not unique to Elmira. Where make-shift prisons such as Elmira were estalished, most of the Civil War prison sites were forgotten. Elmira came back into national focus during the 44st Congress' First session in January 1876. In response to a bill that would restore political rights to the South, Maine's James G. Blaine (known as the "Plumed Knight") proposed an amendment which would not restore rights to the fallen Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. In his blistering attack, Blaine recounted the horrors of Andersonville, a death camp located in Georgia, and placed the blame of the thousands of Union deaths in the camp directly as Davis' feet. In his usual tone, Blaine swore before God that "neither the deeds of the Duke of Alba in the Low Countries, not the massacre of St. Bartholomew, nor the thumbscrews and engines of torture of the Spanish Inquisition begin to compare in atrocity with the hideous crimes of Andersonville."
In response to Blaine attack, Congressman Benjamin H. Hill of Georgia (who had opposed secession), rose in defiance. In a two-hour rebuttal, Hill stated that the crime of Andersonville could not be attributed to any man. In his view, the state of the prison was a direct result of Northern policies during the final years of the war. Hill then produced a letter he claimed was written by an unnamed Union surgeon who served in the prison. According to the surgeon, the prisoners at Elmira "were allowed to starve." New York Congressman Platt, responding to Hill, stated that he lived less than 30 miles from Elmira and denounced the letter as "unqualifiedly false." Hill then stated that he would rather believe a surgeon stationed in the camp than a congressman who lived 30 miles away. The heated exchange continued into the next day's session, was covered in most of the nation's papers, and drew the attention of Congressman James A. Garfield (the future President). Garfield challenged Hills statement and confronted him with a telegram from Benjamin Tracy, camp commander. Tracy denied the charges and made several statements now know to be false: the quantity and quality of food was excellent, large sums of money were spent on fresh vegetables, and the camp existed with no "deadline." Tracy concluded his remarks with a cryptic statement: "the mortality which prevailed was not owing to neglect or want of sufficient supplies or medical attention, but to other and different causes." No further elaboration was provided. In the spirit of Congressional peace, Hill dropped his attack. But the discussion of Elmira was not forgotten by newspaper editors across the country. The New York Times claimed Hill's remarks amounted to slander upon the citizens of Elmira. According to the Times, the prison camp was "kindly looked after" by "ladies in the city." Southern papers, such as the Nashville American, praised Hill's speech as a "remarkable effort." The following year, Woodlawn Cemetery was made a National Cemetery. Purpose |
