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Elmira
The Civil War prison camp at Elmira, New York, opened on July 6, 1864, and closed the following July. During that single year, almost 3,000 Confederate prisoners died. The prison's death rate of nearly 25 percent was the highest of any camp in the North, compared to an average death rate of just over 11 percent in all Northern camps and about 15 percent in the South. Clearly, something went wrong in Elmira. Drawing on ten years of research, this book traces the story of what happened.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 20, 2026
I once lived less than an hour away from Andersonville, Georgia. Just prior to that, I lived less than an hour away from Elmira, New York. The significance of being in close proximity to these two places, back to back, never occurred to me at the time. I did visit Andersonville, because its status as the Civil War’s deadliest prison was well known. But I never visited Elmira, because I just didn’t know much about its history until now.
Horigan was a longtime educator and a locally-known expert on Elmira's Civil War prison camp. This was his first and only book. And his expertise, diligent research and careful but honest even-handedness paid off.
While one is far more (in)famous than the other, Andersonville and Elmira are inextricably linked. Opening just months apart late in the war, “both prisons are remembered today for their high death rates and questionable management,” Horigan writes.
And both are still the subject of controversy and debate today. How much of the misery was avoidable? How much was inevitable in a time of war? And how much might even have been deliberate?
Nearly 3,000 prisoners died in Elmira’s prison, a death rate of 24%. That’s as compared to 12% in the North overall, 15% in the South and 29% at Andersonville, where nearly 13,000 prisoners died.
The prevailing view in the North is that the deaths at Andersonville were the result of heartless neglect and deliberate cruelty, while the Northern prisons were not so bad, or at least not purposely so. The opposite viewpoint tends to prevail in the South. Unlike William Marvel’s Andersonville, in which he adopted the Southern point of view and let that bias shape his narrative, Horigan goes where the facts take him regardless of where his hometown happens to be. And what he concludes makes for a complicated and compelling story.
As a transit hub that had previously housed Northern troops before their deployment, Elmira was pegged as a natural place for a prison camp when the two sides halted prisoner exchanges, and finding places to house them all became necessary. Horigan foreshadows problems from the start, when local administrators’ superiors in Washington insisted on housing 10,000 prisoners at Elmira when the camp could only reasonably hold 5,000. Camp commanders who knew better seemed reluctant, or helpless, to object.
They also seemed to show little urgency about the need to improve the drainage of a pond in the camp, which “would prove to be a fateful and fatal mistake” as it became polluted, Horigan observes. They seemed similarly unconcerned about procuring fruits and vegetables in order to ward off scurvy and disease among prisoners. And they dragged their feet about ensuring that prisoners had adequate clothing, medical care and shelter. As they first did what Washington ordered, and then did what they thought Washington wanted, they became cynical and seemingly uncaring about the prisoners’ suffering and humanity.
But Horigan puts much of the responsibility for the deteriorating conditions at the prison on Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. While it’s still questionable whether the Confederacy acted maliciously toward the prisoners it held, or simply lacked the resources necessary to properly care for them, it’s unquestionable that outrage over their treatment led to calls for reciprocal action in the North. And Stanton “was an enthusiastic advocate of retaliation,” Horigan writes. He deliberately reduced prisoners' rations, with “no documented objection to this idea from President Abraham Lincoln.” And given the already-concerning conditions at Elmira, “it is difficult to argue” that everyone from Stanton on down "did not realize to a moral certainty that a reduction in rations would be devastating."
That said, Horigan doesn’t outright denounce Stanton or those in charge of the camp. He holds them to account, but also seeks to understand their actions in the context of war, and defends them against some of the more outlandish accusations. He finds no evidence of deliberate cruelty against individual prisoners or draconian discipline - unlike at Andersonville, for example, Elmira had no “dead line” denoting a no-man’s land inside the prison’s exterior boundaries, and no one was ever shot for trying to escape. And he finds no reason to believe that anyone desired to turn Elmira into a literal death camp.
Even though he makes a strong argument that deliberate retaliation was official Union policy - as summarized in an enumerated list of all the evidence offered throughout the book - Horigan still cautions that “what can be surmised is not the same as what can be proved.” Nevertheless, “consciously or unconsciously, Stanton created an Andersonville in the North,” he concludes.
The question is whether anyone should be condemned for their actions or inactions, whether they could have foreseen the deadly consequences of their decisions, or whether their conduct was justifiable in the context of war. Who was ultimately responsible for what happened at Elmira? “This is a question that was never answered by the Civil War generation,” Horigan concludes in this thoughtful, balanced and illuminating book, “and it is an issue that continues to divide those who address it today.”
Unlike Andersonville’s prison, which was kind of in the middle of nowhere, the Elmira prison was set up on the outskirts of a thriving community. It even became a tourist site for a while, as entrepreneurs built towers outside the camp so local residents could peek over the walls at the prisoners, while enjoying refreshments from adjoining concession stands.
After the war, the prison was slowly dismantled until all evidence of its existence - aside from the neighboring cemetery - was erased. It’s my understanding now that the community is working to restore the site and construct a museum to memorialize what happened there. I’m already overdue for a return visit to Andersonville, which is not too far away from me. After reading this excellent book, it may be time to finally pay a reciprocal visit to Elmira as well.
Horigan was a longtime educator and a locally-known expert on Elmira's Civil War prison camp. This was his first and only book. And his expertise, diligent research and careful but honest even-handedness paid off.
While one is far more (in)famous than the other, Andersonville and Elmira are inextricably linked. Opening just months apart late in the war, “both prisons are remembered today for their high death rates and questionable management,” Horigan writes.
And both are still the subject of controversy and debate today. How much of the misery was avoidable? How much was inevitable in a time of war? And how much might even have been deliberate?
Nearly 3,000 prisoners died in Elmira’s prison, a death rate of 24%. That’s as compared to 12% in the North overall, 15% in the South and 29% at Andersonville, where nearly 13,000 prisoners died.
The prevailing view in the North is that the deaths at Andersonville were the result of heartless neglect and deliberate cruelty, while the Northern prisons were not so bad, or at least not purposely so. The opposite viewpoint tends to prevail in the South. Unlike William Marvel’s Andersonville, in which he adopted the Southern point of view and let that bias shape his narrative, Horigan goes where the facts take him regardless of where his hometown happens to be. And what he concludes makes for a complicated and compelling story.
As a transit hub that had previously housed Northern troops before their deployment, Elmira was pegged as a natural place for a prison camp when the two sides halted prisoner exchanges, and finding places to house them all became necessary. Horigan foreshadows problems from the start, when local administrators’ superiors in Washington insisted on housing 10,000 prisoners at Elmira when the camp could only reasonably hold 5,000. Camp commanders who knew better seemed reluctant, or helpless, to object.
They also seemed to show little urgency about the need to improve the drainage of a pond in the camp, which “would prove to be a fateful and fatal mistake” as it became polluted, Horigan observes. They seemed similarly unconcerned about procuring fruits and vegetables in order to ward off scurvy and disease among prisoners. And they dragged their feet about ensuring that prisoners had adequate clothing, medical care and shelter. As they first did what Washington ordered, and then did what they thought Washington wanted, they became cynical and seemingly uncaring about the prisoners’ suffering and humanity.
But Horigan puts much of the responsibility for the deteriorating conditions at the prison on Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. While it’s still questionable whether the Confederacy acted maliciously toward the prisoners it held, or simply lacked the resources necessary to properly care for them, it’s unquestionable that outrage over their treatment led to calls for reciprocal action in the North. And Stanton “was an enthusiastic advocate of retaliation,” Horigan writes. He deliberately reduced prisoners' rations, with “no documented objection to this idea from President Abraham Lincoln.” And given the already-concerning conditions at Elmira, “it is difficult to argue” that everyone from Stanton on down "did not realize to a moral certainty that a reduction in rations would be devastating."
That said, Horigan doesn’t outright denounce Stanton or those in charge of the camp. He holds them to account, but also seeks to understand their actions in the context of war, and defends them against some of the more outlandish accusations. He finds no evidence of deliberate cruelty against individual prisoners or draconian discipline - unlike at Andersonville, for example, Elmira had no “dead line” denoting a no-man’s land inside the prison’s exterior boundaries, and no one was ever shot for trying to escape. And he finds no reason to believe that anyone desired to turn Elmira into a literal death camp.
Even though he makes a strong argument that deliberate retaliation was official Union policy - as summarized in an enumerated list of all the evidence offered throughout the book - Horigan still cautions that “what can be surmised is not the same as what can be proved.” Nevertheless, “consciously or unconsciously, Stanton created an Andersonville in the North,” he concludes.
The question is whether anyone should be condemned for their actions or inactions, whether they could have foreseen the deadly consequences of their decisions, or whether their conduct was justifiable in the context of war. Who was ultimately responsible for what happened at Elmira? “This is a question that was never answered by the Civil War generation,” Horigan concludes in this thoughtful, balanced and illuminating book, “and it is an issue that continues to divide those who address it today.”
Unlike Andersonville’s prison, which was kind of in the middle of nowhere, the Elmira prison was set up on the outskirts of a thriving community. It even became a tourist site for a while, as entrepreneurs built towers outside the camp so local residents could peek over the walls at the prisoners, while enjoying refreshments from adjoining concession stands.
After the war, the prison was slowly dismantled until all evidence of its existence - aside from the neighboring cemetery - was erased. It’s my understanding now that the community is working to restore the site and construct a museum to memorialize what happened there. I’m already overdue for a return visit to Andersonville, which is not too far away from me. After reading this excellent book, it may be time to finally pay a reciprocal visit to Elmira as well.
April 21, 2015
"During the Civil War, the politics of the War Department, functioning with a Machiavellian mind-set, justified a pattern of behavior that manifested itself in the form of delaying and/or rejecting relatively reasonable requests on the part of prison personnel. Americans needlessly inflicted pain and death up Americans. Powerful men who claimed in public to have acted justly are now seen to have employed unjust means in private."
Michael Horigan demonstrates a wealth of knowledge about his subject. Delving into a diversity of sources--personal letters, newspaper articles, statements on the floor of Congress, and more, Horigan argues persuasively that the high death rate at Elmira was a result of a deliberate policy of retaliation, arising at the highest levels of Union leadership--especially Secretary of War Stanton himself. The death of thousands of soldiers at Elmira is all the more tragic when seen next to the abundance of supplies that were pleaded for by the camp doctor, offered by relief groups, promised by the government, purchased by relatives of the prisoners, available for sale to prisoners by local merchants, but routinely denied to prisoners with frivolous or bureaucratic justifications by the Union military leadership.
This book stands as a sobering reminder that those in power need vigilant accountability, especially in times of crisis or war. "Just trust us--we're the government" didn't work then and it is a dangerous slogan today. Largely through bureaucratic deceits, thousands died. The local papers, consumed with their own agendas, as often as not provided propaganda or misinformation. Many individuals tried to see justice and mercy done, but were defeated in their efforts by a combination of incompetence and malice.
Not a cheerful topic, but an excellent read, carefully researched and edited.
Michael Horigan demonstrates a wealth of knowledge about his subject. Delving into a diversity of sources--personal letters, newspaper articles, statements on the floor of Congress, and more, Horigan argues persuasively that the high death rate at Elmira was a result of a deliberate policy of retaliation, arising at the highest levels of Union leadership--especially Secretary of War Stanton himself. The death of thousands of soldiers at Elmira is all the more tragic when seen next to the abundance of supplies that were pleaded for by the camp doctor, offered by relief groups, promised by the government, purchased by relatives of the prisoners, available for sale to prisoners by local merchants, but routinely denied to prisoners with frivolous or bureaucratic justifications by the Union military leadership.
This book stands as a sobering reminder that those in power need vigilant accountability, especially in times of crisis or war. "Just trust us--we're the government" didn't work then and it is a dangerous slogan today. Largely through bureaucratic deceits, thousands died. The local papers, consumed with their own agendas, as often as not provided propaganda or misinformation. Many individuals tried to see justice and mercy done, but were defeated in their efforts by a combination of incompetence and malice.
Not a cheerful topic, but an excellent read, carefully researched and edited.
January 4, 2011
This was a solid read. Horigan makes a pretty damning case against the War Department. It is always rather startling to think that such a hell could exist in my own backyard.
December 10, 2017
Though I have a hundred quibbles about this book, I want to say that I'm glad it was written, I'm glad I read it (for which I thank my cousin, Ethel Sanden, who brought it to my attention), and I feel that it belongs on any Civil War bookshelf, right next to the book on Andersonville which that shelf requires. This is an extensively researched work, and the footnotes and bibliography are a treasure trove for anyone seeking further information on the subject.
Elmira, NY housed a middling-sized POW camp during the last year of the Civil War (Andersonville only lasted a year, too), and just under one quarter of the Confederates held in it died from the experience. Several of the Union camps followed Stanton's leanings toward retaliation against prisoners for the bad treatment of Union prisoners in the South, and Elmira seems to have done that the most effectively. Andersonville's death rate was 29%, compared to Elmira's 24%, which is a difference without any distinction (to mangle a shopworn phrase).
This book does a good job of covering all the main topics that intersect with this story: why Elmira was chosen; who the main folks responsible were, both locally and in Washington DC; the step-by-step history of the camp; what it was like inside; what it was like outside; and the Congressional dust-up that happened years later, when representatives started slinging comparisons around without actual data. Horigan REALLY DID HIS RESEARCH on the topic, including chasing biographical information and private papers for each of the major players; most of whom lived far from Elmira. (I did wish there was more about the Union spy who was in the camp, and who later became the local postmaster, but there may simply not have been much.)
There are three things missing from this book, which would have been helpful, and which also seem obvious:
1. A map of the camp.
2. A map of the region around Elmira, including the Chemung and Erie canals, and the relevant railroad lines.
3. A table of the monthly death tolls, since the death toll is the key testimony about what went on there.
The narrative structure of the book is vaguely a temporal order, but subjects keep distracting that narrative and the writer follows them off to some conclusion, which ruins the storyline. The mini-bios tend to do that, for instance; and so do the interpersonal squabbles. (It's a squabbly cast of characters, to be sure.) I'm thinking that a month-by-month narration might have been clearer, especially if it revisited the status at the end of each section (death toll, pond still not drained, blankets still not delivered, winter clothing still not ordered, no green vegetables allowed in camp this month).
However, it a definite plus that Horigan DOES pursue the bios and documentation of the key players, because that is so much of the story. (Compare the situation at Elmira with Fort Warren, where the personalities in charge produced the exact opposite result.) Also historically interesting is the contrast between the various local newspapers; and between some of the newspaper accounts and the actual truth.
In sum, this is scholarly without being boring. It presents information, while resisting rhetoric; though you can feel the outrage at the outcome. It's a contribution to civilization that this subject was so rigorously studied, and the book should stay in print, we hope, for a very long time.
Elmira, NY housed a middling-sized POW camp during the last year of the Civil War (Andersonville only lasted a year, too), and just under one quarter of the Confederates held in it died from the experience. Several of the Union camps followed Stanton's leanings toward retaliation against prisoners for the bad treatment of Union prisoners in the South, and Elmira seems to have done that the most effectively. Andersonville's death rate was 29%, compared to Elmira's 24%, which is a difference without any distinction (to mangle a shopworn phrase).
This book does a good job of covering all the main topics that intersect with this story: why Elmira was chosen; who the main folks responsible were, both locally and in Washington DC; the step-by-step history of the camp; what it was like inside; what it was like outside; and the Congressional dust-up that happened years later, when representatives started slinging comparisons around without actual data. Horigan REALLY DID HIS RESEARCH on the topic, including chasing biographical information and private papers for each of the major players; most of whom lived far from Elmira. (I did wish there was more about the Union spy who was in the camp, and who later became the local postmaster, but there may simply not have been much.)
There are three things missing from this book, which would have been helpful, and which also seem obvious:
1. A map of the camp.
2. A map of the region around Elmira, including the Chemung and Erie canals, and the relevant railroad lines.
3. A table of the monthly death tolls, since the death toll is the key testimony about what went on there.
The narrative structure of the book is vaguely a temporal order, but subjects keep distracting that narrative and the writer follows them off to some conclusion, which ruins the storyline. The mini-bios tend to do that, for instance; and so do the interpersonal squabbles. (It's a squabbly cast of characters, to be sure.) I'm thinking that a month-by-month narration might have been clearer, especially if it revisited the status at the end of each section (death toll, pond still not drained, blankets still not delivered, winter clothing still not ordered, no green vegetables allowed in camp this month).
However, it a definite plus that Horigan DOES pursue the bios and documentation of the key players, because that is so much of the story. (Compare the situation at Elmira with Fort Warren, where the personalities in charge produced the exact opposite result.) Also historically interesting is the contrast between the various local newspapers; and between some of the newspaper accounts and the actual truth.
In sum, this is scholarly without being boring. It presents information, while resisting rhetoric; though you can feel the outrage at the outcome. It's a contribution to civilization that this subject was so rigorously studied, and the book should stay in print, we hope, for a very long time.
April 1, 2012
This was a great read. Thorough, concise, poignant. Well organized. These tragedies are often overlooked, as Andersonville of Georgia gets more press.
With Elmira being so close to where I live now, I hope to travel there, for the one part of the book that may have been lacking is how the site and the incidents are interpretted by the surrounding area today.
The sections about the Shohola Train Crash and the escape attempts are very interesting.
An interesting note, Seth Eastman, the director of the prison camp at Elmira is known more for his art than for his time as an inept leader of this prison, with his Wikipedia page making no mention of it. (Something I hope to remedy soon, by using this book as a source.)
With Elmira being so close to where I live now, I hope to travel there, for the one part of the book that may have been lacking is how the site and the incidents are interpretted by the surrounding area today.
The sections about the Shohola Train Crash and the escape attempts are very interesting.
An interesting note, Seth Eastman, the director of the prison camp at Elmira is known more for his art than for his time as an inept leader of this prison, with his Wikipedia page making no mention of it. (Something I hope to remedy soon, by using this book as a source.)
February 3, 2013
Michael Horigan's details, his use of official documentation and primary sources lent an air of authority to this work. While there was no "official policy" of retaliation in the North against Confederate prisoners, Horigan's meticulous research lays a damning indictment against Secretary of War Stanton.
December 11, 2010
Because we live in this area, this book was even more poignant. It is hard to believe that such tragedy actually occured in our backyard.
July 22, 2020
Very much appreciated reading this book. My great great grandfather, Pvt Robert Devinney, 12th NC Infantry arrived at Camp Elmira on Aug 10, 1864. He died there Dec 4, 1864. I knew little of him, but this book helped me gain some further insight of what he would have had to endure the last 4 months of his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2021
Don’t read this book unless you’re a thoroughly dedicated student of the American Civil War. This isn’t pleasant history to read. It is extensively detailed in its presentation for accuracy. It is thought provoking concerning matters of humanity, compassion, and war. I appreciated it for me personally but I can’t say I can recommend it for the general reader.
April 22, 2026
Very informative book about the Union POW camp in Elmira, N.Y. Highly recommend this for Civil War buffs as well as people interested in history.
June 7, 2010
Anyone with an interest in the Civil War should read this. It gives quite an insight into the mentality of war between brothers and how cruel one human being can be to another.
September 22, 2011
Very well researched with a tremendous attention to detail. I only rate as 3 stars because I thought it was a little slow.
January 28, 2024
Elmira surely was a inspiration and a blueprint to Heinrich Himmler and his friends.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews