If given the choice, would you rather die on the battlefield quickly, or waste away in a prison camp for the rest of your life? The 215,000 soldiers that were captured by the Union did not get the choice. Prison camps, at the time, were considered one of the most disturbing, traumatic places on earth. Of what prisoners have told us, Union prison camps are even worse. Andersonville may not be perfect, but Camp Elmira in New York -nicknamed hellmira- is so much worse. Elmira was built by the Union in 1863. It is 30 acres of horrific scenes, torture covering every square inch. Elmira can hold roughly 12,000 abused Confederate soldiers.
The food at Elmira is horrid. The prisoners only get one spoonful of mush on average, once every two
The food at Elmira is horrid. The prisoners only get one spoonful of mush on average, once every two