Henry Wirz
Henry Wirz | |
|---|---|
Wirz c. 1865 | |
| Born | Hartmann Heinrich Wirz November 25, 1823 |
| Died | November 10, 1865 (aged 41) Old Capitol Prison, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Burial place | Mount Olivet Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouses | Emilie Oschwald
(m. 1845; div. 1853)Elizabeth Wolfe (m. 1854) |
| Children | 3 |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Branch | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | Andersonville Prison |
| Battles / wars | |
Henry Wirz (born Hartmann Heinrich Wirz; November 25, 1823 – November 10, 1865) was a Swiss-American convicted war criminal who served as a Confederate Army officer during the American Civil War. He was the commandant of Andersonville Prison, a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp near Andersonville, Georgia, where nearly 13,000 Union Army prisoners of war died as a result of inhumane conditions. After the war, Wirz was tried and executed for conspiracy and murder relating to his command of the camp; this made the captain the highest-ranking soldier and only officer of the Confederate Army to be sentenced to death for crimes during their service. Since his execution, Wirz has become a controversial figure due to debate about his guilt and reputation, including criticism over his personal responsibility for Andersonville Prison's conditions and the quality of his post-war trial.