Keywords

Henry Wirz, Swiss Americans, Andersonville Prison, United States history, Civil War, 1861-1865, prisoners and prisons, judicial error

Abstract

Henry Wirz is the most controversial Swiss American. He was assigned to oversee the Andersonville Prison during the Civil War, and he was blamed for the high death rate in that prison even though he had no means of getting additional food and supplies to the captives. He was tried for war crimes after the Civil War. He was not allowed an adequate defense at his trial, and he was found guilty in a travesty of justice. He refused an offer of clemency if he would implicate Jefferson Davis and other high Confederate officials in a plot to kill Union prisoners. He was hanged in 1865.

Original Publication Citation

Winkler, A. (2011). Henry Wirz and Andersonville: The Career of the Most Controversial Swiss American. Swiss American Historical Society Review, 47(2), 1-16.