Elmira Prison operated from July 6, 1864-July 11, 1865. It was built to hold 5,000 Confederates and ended up with 12,121.
Many of the Confederates captured at Fort Fisher ended up here and died here.
Ron Stack, of North Carolina, had his great-great grandfather held prisoner there. He has twelve letters sent by him. He donated two of them and made copies of the other ten to the Friends of Elmira Prison.
The group also is working to gather material about the prison from other places.
When they were taking the building apart before being moved, they threw away modern nails, but kept the Civil War era rectangular ones and will sail them at a fundraiser.
They are also trying to acquire a 3-inch ordnance Griffin rifle cannon cast in 1863 at Phoenix Foundry, weighing 816 pounds. They also are looking for a carriage for it.
--Old Secesh
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