In 1861, the town of Elmira, NY was a training and marshalling center for Union troops. After the troops had been sent out on duty, and the barracks were empty, the buildings were used as a prisoner-of-war camp. Approximately 12,000 Confederate enlisted men were housed here, in what was originally known as Camp Rathbun, and approximately 3,000 men died here. Fortunately, the sexton of the cemetery, an escaped slave, kept a meticulous record of each Confederate burial. So, in 1907, when the federal government was authorized to erect a marble headstone at each grave, it was possible to inscribe them with the soldier's name, company regiment and grave number. There are several monuments to the civil war dead, along with a grave locator available on site.
Brooklyn, New York | This historic cemetery is the final resting place of numerous Union and Confederate generals, along with thousands of Civil War veterans, and it includes he cast zinc Drummer Boy and New York City's Soldiers' Monument.
Middletown, Connecticut | The home of Union Gen. Joseph King Fenno Mansfield has been preserved as a museum and includes an exhibit of Civil War artifacts, photographs, and documents relating to Mansfield and other local soldiers.
Join t Fight
Donate today to preserve Civil War battlefields and the nation’s history for generations to come.