Tag Archives: Civil War prisons

Symposium Spotlight: Kelly Mezurek

Posted on April 12, 2017 by

Although we’re focusing on “Great Defenses of the Civil War” at the Fourth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge this year, we asked Kelly Mezurek to put her own spin on it as she considered the theme. Kelly … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, USCT | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Henry Wirz’s Story: Spin Set In Stone

Posted on November 10, 2015 by

To believe the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Henry Wirz got the shaft. And so they gave him the shaft, too. Dedicated on May 12, 1909, a monument to the former commandant of South’s most notorious Civil War prison stands … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory, Monuments | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Dead of “Hellmira”

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

A few weeks ago, I visited the former site of the Civil War prison in Elmira, New York. At the time, I recalled a quote from David Blight’s Race and Reunion, which said, “The infamous sites of Civil War prisons…were … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

“Hellmira”—a Place of “Terrible Memory,” Nearly Forgotten

Posted on October 14, 2011 by

Driving through Elmira, New York, last week, a comment from David Blight’s Race and Reunion sprang to mind. In the book, he quotes Clay MacCauley, a veteran from Rhode Island: “The infamous sites of Civil War prisons, [MacCauley] wrote, were … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments