November 10, 1865 - Confederate Prison Camp Leader is Executed

A crowd gathered around the platform where Wirz was executed.

On November 10, 1865, Union soldiers surrounded an execution platform, all chanting, “Wirz, remember, Andersonville.” The executioner, Major Russell, said, “I deplore this duty,” to which Henry Wirz said, “I know what orders are, Major, and I am being hanged for obeying them.” Major Russell triggered the trapdoor; Wirz fell, but the fall didn’t snap his neck. It took a full two minutes for him to die, while all around him soldiers continued chanting. [1]

Andersonville, officially known as Camp Sumter, became the worst of the camps on either side. No barracks were ever built, forcing the prisoners to live in “shebangs” constructed of scrap wood. There was a stream, but it quickly became polluted and turned the land of the camp into a swamp.[2] The prisioners lacked fresh drinking water and disease quickly spread. The Confederacy built the camp to hold 10,000 soldiers, but that number quickly soared to somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000, with some estimates stretching as high as 45,000. Some 13,000 deaths are attributed to the camp.

Wirz was one of the few political executions of the American Civil War. After a year in Europe operating on behalf of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Wirz returned was given of the Andersonville POW camp, where he gained a reputation for being a “weak administrator …[with] a bad temper.” [3]

Historians debate about how at fault Wirz actually was. He had very little in terms of resources, and in 1864 the Union had stopped prisoner exchanges. When word got out about the atrocities of Andersonville, through photographs and witnesses, someone had to be held accountable. Wirz’s trial took 2 months, and throughout it all he refused to plead guilty to charges of “wanton cruelty.”

- Valarie S. and David P.





[1] John, Simkin. "Spartacus Educational." Accessed November 6, 2013. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USACWwirz.htm.
[2] "History.com." Accessed November 6, 2013. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-wirz-hanged.
[3] Henry Wirz," The Biography Channel website,http://www.biography.com/people/henry-wirz-560234 (accessed Nov 06, 2013).