ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- The city of Elmira was a pivotal landmark for the American Civil War -- and efforts to preserve and enhance its history have continued on with the construction of a stockade wall replica.

Elmira is about 200 miles away from site of the battle of Gettysburg, but the city still played a role in the American Civil War. Confederate Prisoners of war were held in the prison camp's barracks, and there's an effort to ensure it's preserved.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, volunteers from around New York State mustered at three different locations, New York City, Albany, and Elmira, where a reproduction of the barracks stands today.

"We have the building behind me as a full size reproduction of the 1861 barracks that were built here in Elmira. And on the other side of that, we have a 50 foot section of the 12 foot stockade wall that surrounded this camp in 1864-65," remarked Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp board member Douglas Oakes.

The complex became a prisoner of war camp in 1864, and would house 12,000 confederate soldiers until the war's end in 1865. Last fall a replica of the stockade wall was completed on the eastern side of the camp, offering onlookers a deeper view at what the camp looked like over 150 years ago.

"Based on some of the comments that we've gotten from local folks, there's a lot of folks that don't understand or know what happened here. Elmira and the surrounding area of Chemung County has a rich military history all the way from the American Revolution through today," said fellow board member Terri Olszowy.

The Friends of the Elmira Civil War hope to shine a light on the city's history and connection to the war through education and preservation. If you are interested in learning all there is about this camp, the Friends of the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp and Elmira College will be holding a symposium at the college from July 26th to the 28th.