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
Best Known For
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.
Videos see all videos
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Jefferson Davis - Treason (2:12)
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Jefferson Davis - The End (2:01)
Henry Wirz - A Captain of Crime
A look at the man responsible for the death of 13,000 POWs during the American Civil War.
Jefferson Davis - The Confederate Choice
A brief glimpse into the life of Jefferson Davis and his rise to lead the confederacy.
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Play NowHenry Wirz. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:44, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234.
Henry Wirz. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Henry Wirz." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 08:44 http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234.
"Henry Wirz," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Henry Wirz," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Henry Wirz [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234.
Henry Wirz, http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Henry Wirz. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
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,
Contents
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.
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