Soldiers trained at Camp Rathbun from May 1861 to 1864, and Confederate prisoners of war were incarcerated at Camp Chemung from July 1864 to July 1865. The flagstaff stands inside the main entrance to the camp at the northwest corner of the property at 722 Winsor Avenue. It was donated by Paul and Norma Searles and dedicated under the auspices of Chemung Valley Living History Center Inc., with Mayor James Hare of Elmira, New York, on May 3, 1992.