Civil War Travels With Ms. Rebelle: Elmira Prison

By Janet L. Greentree

Ms. Rebelle went to Elmira, New York to see if anything was left of the infamous Elmira Prison, a Confederate prison during the Civil War. The prison was located on the banks of the Chemung River in Elmira. There is nothing left except a very small park and a couple of historical signs stating briefly what happened there.  Even though the prison was there for only a year, it had a 24 percent death rate more than any other prison, north or south. 

Elmira Barracks was built at the beginning of the war as a recruiting facility. In July 1864 part of it was turned into a prison camp for Confederates.  All the prison buildings were located on the high northern banks of the river but the prisoners were on the flood plain gravel by the Chemung River. An inspector of the prison stated that “the condition of the patients is pitiable, the diseases are nearly of all type, and much of the sickness is justly attributed to crowd-poisoning.” In January 1865 there were 1,738 prisoners on the sick list out of a total of 5,934 prisoners.  Of the 5,934 so-called healthy prisoners, many were sick as well, and in need of better facilities. 

By June of 1865 when the weather was better, the sanitary conditions of the camp improved. Thus the mortality rate grew less. Foster’s Pond (see map) was used as the prisoners “sinks” (latrines). The stench was extremely offensive and unhealthy for the men to be in such close quarters to the pond.  Finally, after the war ended, the prisoners who were healthy enough to travel by train were sent to City Point (now Hopewell, VA) for exchange. There were only 1,200 men well enough to travel by train. The Confederates named the camp Helmira.

Elmira also has a National Cemetery. Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira is where Mark Twain, a/k/a Samuel Clemens is buried. While Mark Twain did live (1835-1910) during the Civil War, and fought for a short time for the Union, he doesn’t have too much of a connection to the Civil War. He has a most colorful Victorian house (and garage) in Elmira that is now a Christmas shop. That just seems sad to me.  It was curious to wonder whether Mark Twain had a car or did he keep his buggy in the garage. Another famous person buried in Woodlawn Cemetery is Hal Roach of silent film fame who was from Elmira.

 Union General James Nagle

On the way home from New York, I stopped to find the grave of General James Nagle who is buried in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in the Presbyterian Cemetery there.  Pottstown was just southeast of Route 81. Driving into town there were mountains on each side of the town but the town itself looked pretty flat. My trusty Tom Tom (GPS) found the cemetery OK but it was on the side of a mountain. The street going up to it looked like San Francisco streets. So since I was there with my trusty map and photo of his marker, I entered the cemetery.  There were several markers like his, but his was at the very top of the mountain.  So, General Nagle, I made the extreme sacrifice for you climbing the mountain to your grave site.

Nagle was born in Reading, Pa. on April 5, 1822 but moved to Pottstown in 1835.  His father was a drummer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  Nagle’s profession before the Civil War was that of a paperhanger and painter.  He enlisted in the Army in 1842 and fought in the Mexican War. He served at Fort Monroe, Hatteras Island and Newbern, North Carolina. He was assigned to General Jesse Reno in the Department of North Carolina. Nagle was at the Second Battle of Bull Run and Antietam (Burnside Bridge). General McClellan said Nagle saved the day at Burnside Bridge. He served in Kentucky until May 1863. Later, he guarded the approaches to Baltimore. He died on August 22, 1866 from heart disease in Pottsville at the age of 44.

Ms. Rebelle is a member of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table which meets every second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the . The public is invited to attend at no cost and visit the website www.bullruncwrt.org for additional activities (tours, etc.)