NC STATE WIDE - MILITARY - WOODLAWN CEMETERY RECORD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WOODLAWN CEMETERY The following information was published by the Chemung County Historical Society of Elmira, New York in a booklet called "List of Confederate Soldiers Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, New York." They published the following short history of the cemetery: "In 1861 Elmira was a training and marshalling center for Union soldiers. There were three camps with two hospitals and a large warehouse. As the barracks emptied it was decided to make use of the buildings as a prison camp. Here between July 1864 and August 1865 about 12,000 were confined at different times. Of these about 2,950 died. Many were in poor condition when they arrived. The first winter in camp was unusually severe which added to the large loss of life." "At first the United States Government made no provisions for the burial of prisoners so the city officials of Elmira gave the Commanding Officer permission to use one half acre in the city cemetery, known as Woodlawn. The half acre plot was soon filled and before the close of the camp two and one half acres had been used for the graves of Confederate soldiers." "As far as the records show, the Federal Government did nothing in the matter until 1877 when it paid the City of Elmira fifteen hundred dollars for the two and one half acres and named the plot Woodlawn National Cemetery. Since then more land has been added and many other veterans of United States wars are now buried there." "At the time of the Confederate burials, John Jones, an escaped slave who had found freedom in Elmira, was sexton of Woodlawn. He kept a meticulous record of each Confederate burial so that when, in 1907, the Federal Government erected a small marble marker at each grave, it was possible to work each stone with the soldier a name, company regiment, date of death, and grave number." "Among the men whom John Jones buried was one from the household in which he had lived as a slave in Virginia." An excellent book giving a complete history of the Elmira Prison Camp was written by Clay W. Holmes and is called "The Elmira Prison Camp" and was published in 1912. ************** There was a marker erected over the burial place of forty nine Confederate soldiers who were killed in a railroad accident near Shohola, Pennsylvania while they were prisoners of war. They were buried there but later moved to Woodlawn Cemetery where the individual graves no longer can be identified: Names Co. Regiment Names Co. Regiment _________________________________________________________________________ Adams, Joseph A 51st NC Cary, J.W. I 51st NC Baker, Jesse E. F 51st NC Center, C.O. H 62nd NC Baxley, John W. A 31st NC Davis, John D. I 51st NC Bessent, J.H., Cor. G 51st NC Dever, N.H. I 51st NC Bird, J.H. I 26th VA Fuller, Byam H 24th GA Bowers, W. B 48th NC Gatton, W.F. B 35th VA Cav. Briggs, R. E 31st NC Green, Henry A 9th VA Bright, J.W. A 26th VA Ham, Wm. B., Sgt. E 8th NC Bryant, Travers I 51st NC Hardison, J.J. I 51st NC Cain, M. Peagram's VA Hatch, J.S. H 53rd GA Battery Callehan, C. C 10th Cav. Haynes, R.P., Sgt. H 26th VA Jackson, Wm. M. G 53rd GA Pitchford, R.D. E 1st NC Cav. Joiner, A. C 13th VA Pope, D.W. I 51st NC Jones, Wm. A. D 22nd VA Reaser, Philip D 26th VA Bat. Lee, S.W. K 8th NC Reuls, J.S. E 31st NC McCorquadale, M. I 51st NC Samkins, T.C. C 2nd GA Cav. McCurvey, T.W. I 16th GA Sanford, J.F. A 44th NC McQuaque, A. B 31st NC Sangford, W.B. K 16th GA Manning, Wallace F 31st NC Sapt, F.W. E 22nd NC Mitchell, Joseph B 42nd VA Smatley, G.C. C GA Leg. Munroe, Duncan I 51st NC Stauffer, N.B. D 42nd NC Parks, J.C. H 22nd VA Strickland, T. I 51st NC Patrick, J.N. H 26th VA Vaughan, Henry E 47th VA Peiks, J.D. E 47th VA Watson, S.D., Sgt. F 51st NC Williams, Jas. H. K 53rd GA Another marker was erected by the United States to the memory of the following soldiers who were Privates in the Eleventh Veteran Reserve Corps making up the Union Guard who were killed with their Confederate Prisoner's of War (listed above) in the railroad accident near Shohola, PA, July 15, 1864, who were buried with their Confederate Prisoners and have been moved to Woodlawn Cemetery: Names Co. Names Co. _____________________________________________________________ Connel, William H. A Price, Richard I French, Henry E Smith, David K Hart, John A. H Spicer, Daniel C Jackson, Isaac A Vanalstine, Hart W. E Jeffrey, Thomas M. A Vannorman, Ozro A Lingo, Joseph A Volz, Gotlieb E Martin, John S. F Wetherby, Lyman F Plass, Edmund F Wilkenson, Adam F Witchert, Philip G ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ___________________________________________________________________