th anniversary of the henry wirz statue in andersonville ... · pm- gettysburg battlefield tour,...

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Organized By The International Bundesbrief Society Promoting Democracy, Constitutional Liberty and Scholarship A 501c3 Non-Profit Charity In the USA www.Bundesbrief.org Tribute To Swiss Service in The U.S. Civil War Bearing Arms to Preserve Liberty In A Foreign Conflict 200 th Anniversary National Celebration of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln 100 th Anniversary of the Henry Wirz Statue in Andersonville, GA Saturday, August 8, 2009 AM- National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg PM- Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, Gettysburg Please join us in tribute to servicemen of Swiss descent from both sides of the conflict who gave service to the solution of the American civil conflict of 1861-1865. Swiss Rifles Tribute and Salute (under consideration- invited, not yet confirmed) National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg Guided Battlefield Tour, Gettysburg Music of The Time & Cultural Aspects Did you know? Six Civil War veterans became President of the United States; only one became president of another country – Switzerland, soldier Emil Frey. Only one man from the Confederate Army was tried, convicted and executed for war crimes at the end of the Civil War; Swiss-born Henry Wirz, Commandant of Andersonville, GA Prison. 6,000 Swiss fought in the Civil war for both sides, including the famous “Swiss Rifles”

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  • Organized By The International Bundesbrief Society

    Promoting Democracy, Constitutional Liberty and Scholarship A 501c3 Non-Profit Charity In the USA www.Bundesbrief.org

    Tribute To Swiss Service in The U.S. Civil War Bearing Arms to Preserve Liberty In A Foreign Conflict

    200th Anniversary National Celebration of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln

    100th Anniversary of the Henry Wirz Statue in Andersonville, GA

    Saturday, August 8, 2009 AM- National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg PM- Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, Gettysburg

    Please join us in tribute to servicemen of Swiss descent from both sides of the conflict who gave service to the solution of the American civil conflict of 1861-1865.

    Swiss Rifles Tribute and Salute (under consideration- invited, not yet confirmed)

    National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg Guided Battlefield Tour, Gettysburg

    Music of The Time & Cultural Aspects

    Did you know?

    • Six Civil War veterans became President of the United States; only one became president of another country – Switzerland, soldier Emil Frey.

    • Only one man from the Confederate Army was tried, convicted and executed for war crimes at the end of the Civil War; Swiss-born Henry Wirz, Commandant of Andersonville, GA Prison. • 6,000 Swiss fought in the Civil war for both sides, including the famous “Swiss Rifles”

    http://www.bundesbrief.org/

  • Organized By The International Bundesbrief Society

    Promoting Democracy, Constitutional Liberty and Scholarship A 501c3 Non-Profit Charity In the USA www.Bundesbrief.org

    Theme Built Around All Swiss Soldiers, Swiss Women & Children

    Specific Details to be Researched Further- Draft Document, not for distributions

    Emil Frey- Soldier who became Swiss President in 1875 Six Civil War veterans became President of the United States; only one became the president of another country – Switzerland; his name was Emil Frey.

    Emil Johann Rudolf Frey (October 24, 1838 - December 24, 1922) was a Swiss politician, soldier in the American Civil War and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1890–1897). Frey was born in Arlesheim, Switzerland, as the son of Emil Remigius Frey. His father was liberal separatist politician. Frey's family provided refuge for Friedrich Hecker when he fled the repression following the revolution in Germany in 1848. He later emigrated to the USA arriving in Belleville, Illinois an area with many Forty-Eighters, veterans of the 1848 revolutions in Europe. For a while he worked for Hecker, but they had a falling out.[1]

    Career during the American Civil War Frey entered the unionist 24th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a private. Hecker was his commander, and they became friends again, with Frey sharing a tent with Hecker's son. Frey was made ensign and later rose to the rank of colonel, raising the 81st Illinois Regiment. He was taken prisoner and held in Libby Prison for eighteen months before being exchanged for Captain Gordon, a Confederate prisoner under sentence of death.[2]

    Swiss politician After the Civil War, Frey returned to Switzerland. From 1866 to 1872, he was a member of the cantonal government of Basel-Country. In 1870, he married Emma Kloss (1848-1877) with whom he had five children. In 1872, Frey was elected to the Swiss National Council, council he presided in 1875/1876. From 1882 to 1888, Frey was the first ambassador (Minister) of Switzerland to the United States in Washington. He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 11, 1890 and handed over office on March 31, 1897. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party. During his office time he held the Military Department. He was President of the Confederation in 1894.

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  • Organized By The International Bundesbrief Society

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    Henry Wirz- Zurich Born- Exonerated for War Crimes at Andersonville, GA Only one man from the Confederate Army was tried, convicted and executed for war crimes at the end of the Civil War; Swiss-born Henry Wirz, Commandant of Andersonville, GA Prison.

    Henry Wirz November, 1822 – November 10, 1865 (aged

    43)

    Henry Wirz

    Place of birth Zurich, Switzerland Place of death Washington, D.C.

    Allegiance Confederate States of America Service/branch Confederate States Army

    Years of service 1861–65

    Rank major Commands

    held Andersonville Prison

    Battles/wars Battle of Seven Pines

    Heinrich Hartmann Wirz[1], better known as Henry Wirz (November 1822 – November 10, 1865) was a Confederate officer tried and executed in the aftermath of the American Civil War for conspiracy and murder relating to his command of Camp Sumter, the Confederate prisoner of war camp in Andersonville, Georgia.

    Medical career and family

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    Born in Zürich, Switzerland, Wirz graduated from college in Zurich. He later went to medical schools in Paris and at the University of Berlin, but there is no evidence he ever obtained any degrees. Wirz practiced medicine for a time before he emigrated to the U.S. in 1849 which was, as with many Forty-Eighters, probably in connection with the failed Revolutions of 1848 in the German states and elsewhere, or the Swiss Sonderbund war.[citation needed] Wirz, who had married in 1845 and had two children, was imprisoned briefly in the late 1840s for unknown reasons.[2]

    He established a medical practice in Kentucky where he married a Methodist widow named Wolfe. Along with her two daughters they moved to Louisiana. In 1855 his wife gave birth to their daughter Cora. By 1861, Wirz had a successful medical practice.[3][4]

    Civil War When the American Civil War broke out in 1861 Wirz enlisted as a private in Company A, Fourth-Battalion, Louisiana Volunteers of the Confederate States Army. He took part in the Battle of Seven Pines in May 1862, during which he was severely wounded by a minie ball and lost the use of his right arm.[4] Wirz subsequently served on detached duty as a prison guard in Alabama, then transferred to help guard Federal prisoners incarcerated at Richmond, Virginia. Because of his injury, Wirz was assigned to the staff of General John Winder, who was in charge of Confederate prisoner of war camps.[3]

    In February, 1864, the Confederate government established Camp Sumter, a large military prison near the small railroad depot of Andersonville, Georgia, to house Union prisoners of war. In March, Wirz took command of Camp Sumter where he remained for over a year.[3]

    Though wooden barracks were originally planned, the Confederates incarcerated the prisoners in a vast, rectangular, open-air stockade originally encompassing sixteen and a half acres, which had been intended as only a temporary facility pending prisoner exchanges with the north. The prison suffered an extreme lack of food, tools and medical supplies, severe overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions and a lack of potable water. At its peak in August 1864, the camp held approximately 32,000 Union prisoners, making it the fifth largest city in the Confederacy. The monthly mortality rate from disease and malnutrition reached 3000. Around 45,000 prisoners were incarcerated during the camp's 14-month existence, of whom 13,000 (28%) died.[5]

    Trial and execution

    The execution of Henry Wirz near the US Capitol moments after the trap door was sprung.

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    Wikisource has original text related to this article: Wirz Appeal to President Johnson

    Wirz was arrested in May, 1865 by a contingent of federal cavalry and taken by rail to Washington, D.C., where the federal government intended to place him on trial for conspiring to impair the lives of Union prisoners of war.[3]

    In July 1865, the trial convened in the Capitol building and lasted two months, dominating the front pages of newspapers across the United States. The court heard the testimony of former inmates, ex-Confederate officers and even nearby residents of Andersonville. Finally, in early November, the commission announced that it had found Wirz guilty of conspiracy as charged, along with 11 of 13 counts of murder. He was sentenced to death.

    In a letter to President Andrew Johnson, Wirz asked for clemency, but the letter went unanswered. Wirz was hanged and later buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C. He was survived by his wife and one daughter.

    Henry Wirz was the only man tried, convicted and executed for war crimes during the Civil War. His conviction is controversial still today.[5][6]

    Many people today[7]feel that Wirz was unfairly tried and convicted because of the fact that the South had low food rations, which was out of Wirz's control.[citation needed] In fact, in many instances, the South was unable to feed its own soldiers as the war progressed. Additionally, many historians[who?] have reported over the years that Union prison camps were just as harsh as anything experienced in Andersonville, yet no trials addressing the conditions in Federal prison camps were ever held. Wirz's trial and conviction also served to overshadow the many atrocities that were perpetrated at the Union prison camps.[citation needed]

    Popular culture • Wirz's trial was depicted in the 1970 television film The Andersonville Trial, directed by George

    C. Scott who had appeared in the Broadway play by Saul Levitt upon which it was based. It featured Richard Basehart as Wirz and William Shatner as chief government prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel N.P. Chipman. The film centered upon the question of whether Wirz should have been condemned for following orders, in a parallel with the then-current controversy over the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War.

    • TNT's 1996 Movie, Andersonville, Jan Triska played Wirz.

    Notes 1. ^ Heinrich Hartmann Wirz http://www.us-civilwar.com/wirz.htm 2. ^ crimelibrary.com: Captain Henry Wirz [1] 3. ^ a b c d http://history.swissroots.org/263.0.html Swiss Roots:Henry Wirz 4. ^ a b http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Wirz/BIO1.HTM Wirz Trial, Biographies:Capt Wirz 5. ^ a b http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/11andersonville/11facts1.htm Andersonville Prison

    http://www.bundesbrief.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikisourcehttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wirz_Appeal_to_President_Johnsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_note-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz-2#cite_note-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersonville,_Georgiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Olivet_Cemetery_(Washington,_D.C.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_note-Andersonville_Prison-4#cite_note-Andersonville_Prison-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_note-Andersonville_Prison-4#cite_note-Andersonville_Prison-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_note-6#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andersonville_Trialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Scotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Scotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Baseharthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shatnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersonville_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Triskahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-0#cite_ref-0http://www.us-civilwar.com/wirz.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-1#cite_ref-1http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/andersonville/4.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-0#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-1#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-2#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-3#cite_ref-Swiss_Roots:Henry_Wirz_2-3http://history.swissroots.org/263.0.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Captain_Henry_Wirz_Biography_3-0#cite_ref-Captain_Henry_Wirz_Biography_3-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Captain_Henry_Wirz_Biography_3-1#cite_ref-Captain_Henry_Wirz_Biography_3-1http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Wirz/BIO1.HTMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Andersonville_Prison_4-0#cite_ref-Andersonville_Prison_4-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-Andersonville_Prison_4-1#cite_ref-Andersonville_Prison_4-1http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/11andersonville/11facts1.htm

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    6. ^ http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Wirz/Wirz.htm The Trial of Captain Henry Wirz Commandant Andersonville Prison 1865

    7. ^ Heidler, David Stephen et al. Encyclopedia Of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, NY: Norton, 2001. "Wirz did not receive a fair trial. Nevertheless, he was found guilty and sentenced to death."

    [edit] References • Chipman, Norton, P. The Tragedy of Andersonville; Trial of Captain Henry Wirz, the Prison

    Keeper, (Sacramento, 1911). • Futch, Ovid. History of Andersonville Prison, (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1968). • Harper, Frank. Andersonville: The Trial of Captain Henry Wirz, MA Thesis, (University of

    Northern Colorado, 1986).

    [edit] See also • Andersonville Prison • Champ Ferguson • Norton P. Chipman

    External links • Entries from Wirz's diary made days before his execution • Henry Wirz biography • Crime Library: Captain Henry Wirz • Documents suggesting Wirz's innocence • Trial of Captain Henry Wirz • The Andersonville Trial (Broadway play) at Internet Broadway Database • The Andersonville Trial at the Internet Movie Database

    Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz" Categories: 1822 births | 1865 deaths | Confederate Army officers | People executed by hanging | Executed military personnel | 19th century executions by the United States | Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War | Americans of Swiss descent | Americans of Swiss-German descent | American people convicted of war crimes | Forty-Eighters | People executed by the United States military | Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) | Executed American people Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since August 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2008 | Articles with specifically-marked weasel-worded phrases

    The Andersonville Trial TV Adaptation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    http://www.bundesbrief.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-5#cite_ref-5http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Wirz/Wirz.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirz#cite_ref-6#cite_ref-6http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Wirz&action=edit&section=6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_P._Chipmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Northern_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Northern_Coloradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Wirz&action=edit&section=7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersonville_Prisonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ_Fergusonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_P._Chipmanhttp://civilwarsources.blogspot.com/2008/01/from-diary-of-henry-wirz-part-1_4925.htmlhttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USACWwirz.htmhttp://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/andersonville/4.html?sect=13http://civilwarsources.blogspot.com/2008/01/captain-henry-wirz-ruthless-villain-of.htmlhttp://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Wirz/Wirz.htmhttp://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=2874http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Broadway_Databasehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065399/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Movie_Databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wirzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Categorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1822_birthshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1865_deathshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Confederate_Army_officershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:People_executed_by_hanginghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Executed_military_personnelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:19th_century_executions_by_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Georgia_(U.S._state)_in_the_American_Civil_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Georgia_(U.S._state)_in_the_American_Civil_Warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Americans_of_Swiss_descenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Americans_of_Swiss-German_descenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_people_convicted_of_war_crimeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_people_convicted_of_war_crimeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Forty-Eightershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:People_executed_by_the_United_States_militaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Burials_at_Mount_Olivet_Cemetery_(Washington,_D.C.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Burials_at_Mount_Olivet_Cemetery_(Washington,_D.C.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Executed_American_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_unsourced_statementshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_since_August_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_since_August_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_since_October_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_specifically-marked_weasel-worded_phraseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_with_specifically-marked_weasel-worded_phrases

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    The Andersonville Trial was a television adaptation of a 1959 hit Broadway play by Saul Levitt, presented as an episode of PBS's 1970-71 season of Hollywood Television Theatre.

    The play was based on the actual 1865 trial of Henry Wirz, played by Richard Basehart, commander of the infamous Confederate Andersonville prison, where thousands of Union prisoners died of exposure, malnutrition, and disease. A notable cast included William Shatner as the Chief JAG Prosecutor Norton Parker Chipman, Jack Cassidy (who was nominated for an Emmy) as Wirz's defense counsel, and Buddy Ebsen as a Georgia physician called in to testify about the fate of many of the Union prisoners.

    The television adaptation was directed by actor George C. Scott, who had played the Judge Advocate in the original stage version.

    The TV production of the play won 1971 Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Single Program," for "Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork," and for Levitt's adaptation. It was also honored with a Peabody Award.

    Cast and Characters • William Shatner as Lt. Col. Norton P. Chipman • Cameron Mitchell as Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace • Richard Basehart as Capt. Henry Wirz • Jack Cassidy as Otis Baker • Martin Sheen as Capt. Williams • Buddy Ebsen as Dr. John Bates • Albert Salmi as James Gray • John Anderson as Ambrose Spencer • Michael Burns as James Davidson • Woodrow Parfrey as Louis Schade • Whit Bissell as Dr. Ford • Lou Frizzell as Jasper Culver (Frizzell was the only member of the original Broadway cast to

    appear in the TV-movie)

    • The Andersonville Trial at the Internet Movie Database

    The Andersonville Trial (Broadway play) at Internet Broadway Database

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    Heinrich Hartmann Wirz From http://www.us-civilwar.com/wirz.htm

    November 1823 - November 10, 1865 Heinrich H. Wirz was born in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1823 and educated at the universities in Paris and Berlin before emigrating to the United States in 1849. He eventually settled in Louisiana, where he married and worked as a physician. When the war broke out Wirz enlisted in the Confederate army and was wounded in the Battle of Seven Pines. He lost the use of his right arm, which never healed and gave him constant pain. Wirz was promoted to captain and traveled to Europe on Confederate business from December 1862 to February 1864. The next month he was named commandant of the newly opened Camp Sumter Prison at Andersonville, Ga. Andersonville was the worst of all the Civil War prisons, and news of the atrocious conditions and horrible suffering of Union prisoners

    spread through the North in the spring of 1865. Wirz had a thick German accent, a quick temper, and was prone to curse and shout. Described as having a countenance of "ferocity and brutality" and as being "repulsvie in appearance," many malicious and murderous deeds were reported to have been perpetrated by Wirz, who has been called the "monster of Andersonville." However many others, including some Union prisoners, have described Wirz as "good hearted by nature, and had nothing cruel about him," a man who "would not have mistreated anybody." Whether anyone else in the impossible position of Andersonville's commandant could have performed the duties better, or that the prisoners would have suffered any less, remains doubtful. But at the end of the war, the North demanded that someone pay for the atrocities, and Wirz was quickly arrested, tried, and executed as a war criminal. Wirz maintained his innocence to the end. The proceedings at his military trial were questionable: Most testimony regarding his alleged crimes was hearsay evidence, and one of his most articulate accusers was later discovered to be a Union deserter who was given a government job for his testimony. Fascinating Fact: As Union soldiers chanted "Wirz, remember Andersonville," the gallows' trap door opened, but the execution was botched. Instead of his neck snapping, Wirz slowly strangled -- while the Union soldiers chanted.

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    From SwissRoots.org

    HERITAGE - Famous Swiss in the US - Portraits - Henry Wirz-

    Henry Wirz

    1823 - 1865

    Arbitrary execution, torture, starvation, lack of medical care - the photos and reminiscences of prisoners released at the end of the American Civil War have a chillingly modern ring. And yet only one person was tried and executed for war crimes: the Swiss emigrant, Henry Wirz.

    Wirz was born in Zurich to an old Zurich family. His family had been granted a coat of arms in the 15th century, and its members had held government office there over many generations. Wirz qualified as a doctor, studying not only in Zurich but also in Paris and Berlin.

    He immigrated to the US in 1849, and settled at first in Kentucky, moving later to Louisiana.

    When the Civil War started, Wirz enlisted with the Louisiana Volunteers. He was badly wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines, losing most of the use of one arm. He was promoted "for bravery on the field of battle", but this injury left him unfit to fight, and instead he was attached to General John Winder, who was in charge of Confederate prisoner of war camps. After stints in two other prisons, he took charge of Camp Sumter prison, near Andersonville, Georgia, in March 1864, where he remained for just over a year.

    He was arrested by Federal troops in May 1865. Even before the end of the war, reports had been coming out about the appalling conditions at Andersonville. The conviction grew that the Confederates were deliberately mistreating Unionist prisoners. It is generally agreed today that the victors were looking for a scapegoat to vent their anger, and Wirz fulfilled that role.

    His two-month trial, held in Washington, was a sensation, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. He was found guilty of several counts of murder and of mistreating the prisoners in his care "willfully and maliciously, in furtherance of his evil designs" - the purpose being to "weaken and impair" the Unionist army.

    The testimony was damning. In addition to the prisoners he was found guilty of shooting in cold blood, it was said that he had used bloodhounds "to seize, tear, mangle, and maim the bodies and limbs" of escapees, that he injected "impure and poisonous vaccine matter" into the arms of prisoners, some of whom died as a result, and that he used his boots to "jump upon, stamp, kick, bruise" a number of prisoners. He had shackled them in painful positions, and ordered the guards to shoot any prisoner who crossed the "dead line": a poorly delineated border within the outer fence. (The expression has changed its meaning in the last 150 years, but derives from the Civil War prison camps.)

    It is undisputed that conditions at Andersonville were appalling. Ironically, it was built to relieve overcrowding at the camp in Richmond, where 10 prisoners a day were dying by the end of 1863. But it was poorly planned and brought into use too early. By the middle of August 1864 it held 32-33,000 men, and not 10, but up to 100 were dying every day. Between February 1864 and May 1865 a total of about

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    45,000 Unionist prisoners were held there. About 13,000 of them - nearly 29 per cent - died. (This compares with an average death rate of about 13 per cent in Unionist and Confederate prison camps as a whole.)

    But Wirz was not responsible for the planning and construction of Camp Sumter. The authorities - notably Winder, who conveniently died shortly before the end of the war - had failed to build the wooden barracks that were originally planned, and the prisoners were held in the open air. The guards were poorly trained and equipped, there was insufficient food, and what there was was often unsuitable: many prisoners suffered from scurvy which left them unable to chew and swallow. There was a lack of drinkable water, and the sanitary conditions were poor. All this meant that prisoners were often in dire need of medical treatment, but the supplies were inadequate.

    However bad-tempered and inefficient Wirz may or may not have been, there was nothing he could do to alleviate these problems.

    Even at the time, there were some who recognized that it was a show trial. Many of the witnesses whom Wirz wanted to call in his defence were never summoned; others of them complained that "improper language" had been used to get them to provide material for the prosecution.

    The Washington lawyer, James W Denver, whose firm was originally defending Wirz, wrote to his wife that he believed Wirz ought to be acquitted, "but I am of opinion that the intention is hang him and that no stone will be left unturned to effect it." Denver's firm backed out on the first day of the trial for that very reason. The lawyer who took over the defence complained that the military commission had violated " all rules of law and equity." He singled out the commission president - Lew Wallace, the author of "Ben Hur" - for his failure in ensuring justice.

    Wirz was duly found guilty, and he was hanged on the same site where the Lincoln conspirators had been executed a few months earlier, and where now the US Supreme Court stands.

    He denied his guilt until the last; when the death warrant was read to him, the officer overseeing the hanging told Wirz that he deplored carrying out this duty. Wirz's reply: "I know what orders are, Major. And I am being hanged for obeying them."

    He lies buried in Mount Olivet cemetery; the simple stone describes him as "Confederate Hero-Martyr."

    Wirz has gone down in history as the first man in modern times to face a war crimes trial. As such, it laid the ground for the war crimes tribunals that followed World War II and subsequent conflicts.

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    Soldiers of Swiss Descent- An Assessment 6,000 Swiss in Civil war.- 15th Missouri Regiment- Swiss Rifles.

    15th Missouri, USA, aka "the Swiss Rifles"....fact...."This distinguished regiment is included as one of William F. Fox's (circa 1889) top 300 Union Fighting Regiments."

    15th Regiment of Union Volunteer Infantry: Organized at St. Louis, Mo., August and September, 1861. Moved to Jefferson City, Mo., September, 1861. Attached to Fremont's Army of the West to January, 1862. 5th Brigade, Army of Southwest Missouri, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of Southwest Missouri, to May, 1862. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, Army of Mississippi, to September, 1862. 35th Brigade, 11th Division, Army of Ohio, to October, 1862. 35th Brigade, 11th Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army of Ohio, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Right Wing 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863, 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, to April, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, to June, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of Texas to December, 1865.

    SERVICE:--Fremont's Campaign against Springfield, Mo., October 4-November 8, 1861. Moved to Rolla, Mo., and duty there until February, 1862. Curtis' Campaign in Missouri and Arkansas against Price February and March. Advance on Springfield February 2-11. Pursuit of Price into Arkansas February 14-29. Battles of Pea Ridge, Ark., March 6-8. March to Batesville April 5-May 3. Moved to Cape Girardeau, Mo., May 11-22; then to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., May 23-26. Siege of Corinth May 27-30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 6. At Rienzi until August 26. Moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, August 26-September 14; then to Louisville, Ky., September 17-19. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1-16. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 16-November 7. Duty at Nashville until December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. Duty near Murfreesboro until June. Expedition toward Columbia March 4-14. Middle Tennessee (or Tullahoma) Campaign June 23-July 7. Fairfield June 27-29. Esuntil Springs July 2. Reconnoissance to Anderson July 11-14. Occupation of Middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22, Battle of Chickamauga September 19-20. Siege of Chattanooga September 24-November 23. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Orchard Knob November 23-24. Mission Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26-27. March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November 28-December 8. Operations in East Tennessee December, 1863, to February, 1864. Dandridge January 16-17, 1864. Moved to Chattanooga, then to Cleveland, Tenn., and duty there until May, 1864. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge and Dalton May 8-13. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8-9. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Adairsville May 17. Near Kingston May 18-19. Near Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22-25, Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11-14. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Buckhead, Nancy's Creek, July 18. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesborg August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Operations against Hood and Forest in North Georgia and North Alabama September 29-November 3. Nashville Campaign November and December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Spring Hill November 29.

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    Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Columbia December 19. Pulaski December 25. March from Pulaski to Decatur, Ala., and duty there until April, 1865. Moved to Blue Springs April 1-5, then to Nashville, Tenn., April 19, and duty there until June. Moved to New Orleans June 15-23, and to Port Lavaca, Texas, July 18-24. Duty there until October. Moved to Victoria October 27 and duty there until December. Mustered out December 25, 1865.

    Regiment lost during service 8 Officers, and 107 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 106 Enlisted men by disease. Total 222.

    John Daniel Imboden, 1823-1895, lawyer, politician and soldier, born near Staunton, Virginia. His great grandfather emigrated from Henau, Canton St Gallen, in 1752. He is best known for his successful defense of the Shenendoah Valley Lawyer as a Brigadier General on the Confederate side in the Civil War. After the war he returned to his practice as a lawyer, and also worked to promote the steel industry in western Virginia.

    German speaking elements – From: http://wesclark.com/jw/foreign_soldiers.html

    Immigration from the German speaking areas of Europe, including the as yet un-united German states, Austria, Switzerland, Alsace-Lorraine, etc. was particularly heavy prior to the Civil War, mainly because of economic and political troubles which culminated in the revolution of 1848. These new settlers had not had enough opportunity to become assimilated and retained their language and customs despite their intense loyalty and feelings for their new homeland.

    The Germans, or "Dutch" as they were derisively called (Deutsche is the German word for "German," hence the confusion with the name for Hollanders) were resented by their native born neighbors, as are all new immigrant at the 1st Battle of Bull Run.

    McClellan granted Blenker permission to form a division of German regiments from the Army of the Potomac.

    Blenker's German Division

    1st Brigade: (Stahel) 8th, 39th, 45th N.Y., 27th Penn. 2nd Brigade: (Steinwehr) 29th, 54th, 68th N.Y., 73rd Penn. 3rd Brigade: (Bohlen) 41st, 58th N.Y., 74th, 75th Penn., 4th N.Y. Cavalry with Schirmer's, Wiedrich's, Sturmfels' Artillery batteries.

    The division was assigned to Fremont's corps in the Mountain department and the Shenandoah Valley. Command passed to Carl Schurtz. The division under Schurz was incorporated into Franz Sigel's corps of Pope's Army of Virginia. In September of 1862, shortly before Antietam, the army corps was reorganized and the German division now mixed with American regiments became the IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac, initially under Sigel, then entrusted to Oliver O. Howard just before the battle of Chancellorsville. Transferred to the Western army, the corps merged with the XII Corps to form the XX Corps in April 1864. The XX Corps served under Sherman in the West until the end of the war. By the

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    time of the consolidation the German character of any unit larger than a regiment had been lost through field losses, muster out, conscripts and an admixture of Americans.

    One unique regiment forming an original part of the Blenker division is noteworthy. The "Garibaldi Guards" (the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry) was composed mainly of Italians and Germans, but with a unique admixture of men included real Zouaves from Algiers, foreign legionnaires, Cossacks, Indian Sepoys, Turks, Slavs, Swiss, Spaniards and Austrians. Its commander, Colonel D'Utassy, was a Hungarian who had been a circus trick rider. He proved to be a rogue, however, later spending time in prison. The unit was uniformed in the distinctive green and plumes of the Italian Bersaglieri -- light Infantry.

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    From: http://theswisscenter.com/thecenter/documents/sister-republics.pdf Sister Republics Document- Excerpt The Swiss and the American Civil War – I The Swiss Consul General in Washington estimated in 1862 that up to six thousand Swiss-born soldiers were fighting in the Union Army. Entire units were predominantly Swiss, for instance the 15th Missouri Regiment, known as the “Swiss Rifles,” and Company A of the First United States Sharpshooters. One Swiss soldier, Emil Frey (1839- 1922), after serving a harrowing eighteen months in a Confederate prison, returned to Switzerland. In 1882, he became the first Swiss minister to the United States and, in 1894, President of the Swiss Confederation. Although some Swiss fought for the excitement, many were motivated by idealism. They felt that it was their duty to “support the great cause of the republic” and to fight for “an idea that is destined to bring freedom to all men.” Very few Swiss served in the Confederate army. One of them was Major Henry Wirz (1823-1865) of Zurich, commander of the notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp at Andersonville, Georgia, where Union prisoners died in terrifying numbers. He was sentenced to death by Union authorities, but some believe that he served merely as a scapegoat for the crimes of others, and an effort is being made to reopen his case to rehabilitate his name. At the end of the American Civil War in the spring of 1865, some 20,000 Swiss citizens, encouraged by the Radical and Liberal parties, signed more than 300 letters to the American government, congratulating it on its victory and offering condolences on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Citizens of Switzerland also expressed to America their concern for the newly emancipated slaves, urging America to provide the freed men with financial and educational support. The Swiss and the American Civil War – II At the end of the war, some Swiss politicians wished to honor the “Transatlantic Sister Republic” by establishing a “permanent memorial” in the west wing of the Federal Building in Bern. They thought of a painting which would represent Lincoln, Johnson, Grant and Sherman in “striking scenes.” The money from an unofficial fund-raising campaign was given to the painter Frank Buchser (1828-1890), who traveled to the United States in the spring of 1866. Buchser carried with him a letter of introduction addressed by the Federal Council to William Seward, the Secretary of State: “Switzerland has attentively watched the might contest in the United States, and now greets with great joy the victories of the Union. The names of the great statesmen and warriors, to whom the triumph is due, are as well known and as much honored here as in the Untied States. These circumstances suggested the idea to one of our artist to collect these figures and scenes in one group, to form a large historical painting, to decorate our Hall of Representatives. When his work is finished, we may truly say that the Republics of the Old and New World have a new bond of union.” The project as a whole was never executed. In 1870 Buchser wrote: “In general, people in our country have expressed the desire that the friendly relations between Switzerland and her great Sister Republic, the United States, should be truly heartfelt. This urge to fraternize became especially strong when the North emerged victorious from the long gigantic struggle and the names of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, etc. were mentioned with such great respect. (...) I painted a few portraits, and I hope that, in the Federal palace, they will make a favorable impression upon my fellow Swiss and become, for Americans, an eloquent testimony of our mutual Friendship.”

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    Battle Positions

    Harrisburg to Gettysburg- Northern troops flood down the Susquehanna River from points north in New York State and Pennsylvania and march to take positions in Gettysburg in July 1863

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    Gettysburg Battlefied Tour Guide

    We will tour the battlefield with Mr. Guillermo Bosch, a certified Civil War battlefield guide and specialist on the Gettysburg events, and has deep knowledge of the Illinois Regimental positions.

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    Event Organizers

    International Bundesbrief Society- 501c3, public charity supporting democracy, constitutional liberty and scholarship with the Swiss Bundesbrief as its namesake.

    Jim Scherrer- President of Society Scherrer Resources, Inc. 140 Arrandale Blvd. Exton, PA 19320 484-875-1700, [email protected] W Clement Smith- Member clement global options Post Office Box Fifty-two Gradyville, Pennsylvania 19039-0052 ++1 610 500 9852 [email protected] www.clementglobaloptions.com Map of Switzerland- Source of Swiss Participating in US Civil War

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    American Paintings (1866-1871) Civil War Rendered By Swiss Buchser

    Frank Buchser traveled to America in Spring 1866. He brought with a letter of recommendation by the Swiss Federal Councilor Jakob Dubs.

    It was published in the „New York Times" :

    „Switzerland has attentively watched the mighty contest in the United States, and now greets with great joy the victories of the Union. The names of the great statesmen and warriors, to whom the triumph is due, are as well known and as much honored here as in the United States. These circumstances suggested the idea to one of our artists to collect these figures and scenes in one group, to form a large historical painting, to decorate our Hall of Representatives. The painter selected, Mr. Buchser of Solure, goes to America to compose this picture He is an artist of great celebrity, and I take the liberty of recommending him to your kind consideration. I hope he will be welcome and when his work is finished, we may truly say, that the Republics of the old and new World have a new bond of union."

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    General William Tecumseh Sherman,1869

    By Frank Buchser, Swiss Painter

    Property of the Swiss Confederation

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    Robert E. Lee, Lexington, Virginia 1869

    Frank Buchser, Swiss Artist

    Property of Swiss Confederation

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    We hope to be able to dig out and stand up the famous and newly refreshed “Sister Republics Exhibition” somewhere in the National Civil War Museum during this event if we can get sponsor funds to cover transhipment.

    For details, see http://theswisscenter.com/thecenter/documents/sister-republics.pdf

    Sister Republics Exhibit

    As Viewed at the National Constitution Center June 10, 2006

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    Abe Lincoln To Attend

    The “Persona” Surprise

    A delight for children and parents alike.

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    http://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/

    Join The National Civil War Museum

    by calling 1-866-BLU-GRAY

    y balanced presentations are humanistic in nature without bias to Union or Confederate causes.

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    Site of Tribute to Swiss Fallen In US Civil War

    Come See and Hear The Tribute

    History: It's a Blast! PRICE OF ADMISSION

    Adults $8 Seniors $7

    Students $6 *Family Pass $30

    *Family Pass - Two adults & up to 3 students (immediate family members only)

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    Shop At Their Store at www.CivilWarShopping.com

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    Special Offer to Descendents of Swiss who Fought In War

    Join this event as one part of a Pilgrimage of your Family History

    We can assist in research of your family’s involvement in the Civil War.

    Please identify yourself to us if you know your family to be descendent from a Civil War Soldier and provide some minor bit of information, and also contact details for yourself.

    Commemorative Lapel Pin- Confederate, Yankee and Swiss Flag on One Pin to commemorate this event and the involvement of your family in the Civil War.

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    List of Sponsor Opportunities

    Sisters Republics Exhibit- Pay for Transhipment from Storage to Gettsyburg $10,000

    Lincoln Personage- $500- Jim Hayney local person here in Camp Hill who impersonates Lincoln. http://lookingforalincoln.com/

    Cannon Rental- $250

    Room Rental- $400

    Swiss Rifles- Volley Blanks & Transportation- $250

    Wine & Cheese on Battlefield- $500

    Swiss Miss Singers- $800

    Lunch Tables-

    Luncheon Layout-

    Sovenir Pamplet- 8 x 11

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    Six Civil War veterans became President of the United States; only one became president of another country – Switzerland, soldier Emil Frey.Theme Built Around All Swiss Soldiers, Swiss Women & ChildrenSpecific Details to be Researched Further- Draft Document, not for distributionsEmil Frey- Soldier who became Swiss President in 1875Six Civil War veterans became President of the United States; only one became the president of another country – Switzerland; his name was Emil Frey.Career during the American Civil WarSwiss politician

    Henry Wirz- Zurich Born- Exonerated for War Crimes at Andersonville, GAOnly one man from the Confederate Army was tried, convicted and executed for war crimes at the end of the Civil War; Swiss-born Henry Wirz, Commandant of Andersonville, GA Prison.Medical career and familyCivil WarTrial and executionPopular cultureNotes[edit] References[edit] See alsoExternal links

    The Andersonville Trial TV AdaptationFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCast and Characters