Elmira NY POW Camp - I first learned about The Prisoner of War Camp at Elmira New York while researching The Sultana. Turns out unfortunately that the camp is forgotten by many. The Friends of the Elmira POW Camp Educate and Inform with events and exhibits year round.

I first learned about The Prisoner of War Camp at Elmira New York while researching The Sultana. Turns out unfortunately that the camp is forgotten by many. The Friends of the Elmira POW Camp Educate and Inform with events and exhibits year round.

THE ELMIRA NEW YORK PRISONER OF WAR CAMP

Often thought of as the first modern war, The American Civil War saw many warfare firsts: the first use of extensive trench warfare; the first use of rifled weapons; the first bombardment of civilian areas like Atlanta, Charleston and Vicksburg. It was also the first time mines and hand grenades were used. Unfortunately these destructive ideas extended to the prison system as well. "If there ever was a hell on Earth, Elmira Prison was that hell, but it was not a hot one, for the thermometer was often 40 degrees below zero," - Former Confederate prisoner F.S. Wade, 1865.

THE LATEST EVENTS, EXHIBITS & HOURS OF THE ELMIRA NY CIVIL WAR PRISON CAMP.

Most students of Civil War history have heard very little of months when the town of Elmira in upstate New York was the site of a prisoner of war camp. Friends of Elmira Civil War Prison Camp organize Events and Exhibits throughout the year to educate and inform.