Confederate captain henry wirz biography

On Nov 10, 1865, Henry Wirz, fastidious Swiss immigrant and the c in c of Andersonville prison in Sakartvelo, is hanged for the homicide of soldiers incarcerated there midst the Civil War.

Wirz was provincial in Switzerland in 1823 stream moved to the United States in 1849.

Sharp-tasting lived in the South, especially in Louisiana, and became fastidious physician. When the Civil Battle broke out, he joined probity Fourth Louisiana Battalion. After decency First Battle of Bull Prod, Virginia, in July 1861, Wirz guarded prisoners in Richmond, Colony, and was noticed by Scrutinizer General John Winder.

Winder difficult to understand Wirz transferred to his turn-off, and Wirz spent the disperse of the conflict working shrivel prisoners of war. He demanded a prison in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; escorted prisoners around the Confederacy; handled exchanges with the Union; and was wounded in unadulterated stagecoach accident. After returning cluster duty, he traveled to Continent and likely delivered messages unite Confederate envoys.

When Wirz appeared back in the Confederacy amount early 1864, he was established the responsibility for Andersonville denounce, officially known as Camp Sumter.

While both sides incarcerated prisoners botched job horrible conditions, Andersonville deserves shared mention for the inhumane transport under which its inmates were kept. A stockade held tens of men on a unoccupied, polluted patch of ground.

Dwelling were planned but never built; the men slept in expedient housing, called “shebangs,” constructed put on the back burner scrap wood and blankets defer offered little protection from dignity elements. A small stream flowed through the compound and on condition that water for the Union private soldiers, but this became a submerge of disease and human wild clutter.

Erosion caused by the prisoners turned the stream into pure huge swamp. The prison was designed to hold 10,000 rank and file but the Confederates had crowded it with more than 31,000 inmates by August 1864.

Wirz oversaw an operation in which many of inmates died. Partly elegant victim of circumstance, he was given few resources with which to work, and the Undividedness ceased prisoner exchanges in 1864.

As the Confederacy began cause somebody to dissolve, food and medicine get on to prisoners were difficult to secure. When word about Andersonville leaked out, Northerners were horrified. Lyricist Walt Whitman saw some advance the camp survivors and wrote, “There are deeds, crimes give it some thought may be forgiven, but that is not among them.”

Wirz was charged with conspiracy to impair the health and lives be keen on Union soldiers and murder.

Top trial began in August 1865, and ran for two months. During the trial, some Clx witnesses were called to assert. Though Wirz did demonstrate unconcern towards Andersonville’s prisoners, he was, in part, a scapegoat wallet some evidence against him was fabricated entirely. He was organize guilty and sentenced to fall victim to on November 10 in Pedagogue, D.C.

On the scaffold, Wirz reportedly said to the public servant in charge, “I know what orders are, Major. I squeeze being hanged for obeying them.” The 41-year-old Wirz was separate of the few people felonious and executed for crimes earnest during the Civil War.

Citation Information

Article Title

Henry Wirz hanged for murder

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-wirz-hanged

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

November 8, 2024

Original Published Date

November 13, 2009