A look at Civil War prison camps

A lecture will be held on Saturday, November 2 at 2:30 p.m. at the Wayne County Old Jail Museum, 21 Butternut Street, Lyons. The speaker will be Victor Harris, former history teacher at DeSales High School, and his topic will be Civil War Prisons: North vs. South. Harris will compare Elmira and Andersonville prisons.

In Andersonville, Georgia, a prison for enlisted soldiers was built, designed to hold 10,000. By August 1864, the prison population had swelled to over 32,000 and the atrocious overcrowding quickly led to health and nutritional conditions that resulted in 12, 912 deaths by war's end in May 1865.

In the north, a stockade was built around an unused Union army training camp to create Elmira 'Hellmira' Prison in June 1864. The prison contained 35 barracks and was intended to house as many as 5,000 prisoners. Almost 25 percent of the 12,123 Confederate soldiers who entered the 40-acre prisoner of war camp at Elmira, NY died.

The public is invited to attend this free event but reservations are required as seating space is limited. To make reservations, call the Society at 315-946- 4943, Tuesday-Friday, from 10 to 4. Zappia Vending Service Inc. and the Society will provide refreshments for the event.

A list of upcoming lectures may be found on the Wayne County Historical Society website.

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