Henry Wirz Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Henry Wirz
OCCUPATION: Military Leader
BIRTH DATE: November 25, 1823
DEATH DATE: November 10, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH: Zurich, Switzerland
PLACE OF DEATH: Washington, D.C.
Originally: Heinrich Hartmann Wirz

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During the Civil War, Confederate soldier Henry Wirz commanded the Andersonville Prison, where many Union prisoners-of-war died as a result of poor conditions.

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Henry Wirz

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Wirz's trial lasted two months, during which he faced charges of conspiracy and cruelty. Wirz was found guilty on all counts, including one count for conspiring with Jefferson Davis to "injure the health and destroy the lives of soldiers in the military service of the United States."

For his role in this tragedy, Wirz received a death sentence. He was, at least according to some accounts, offered parole if he implicated Jefferson Davis for war crimes,

but he refused. On November 10, 1865, Wirz was hanged in Washington, D.C. Some historians have questioned Wirz's guilt, wondering if he merely served as a scapegoat for all the atrocities committed at Andersonville.