Henry Wirz
11/25/1823 - 11/10/1865
Sagittarius
Last Words
"I know what orders are, Major. I am being hanged for obeying them."
Death & Legacy
Capt. Henry Wirz, the Confederate officer who ran Andersonville, the most notorious of the Civil War prisons, was hanged on Nov. 10, 1865, for war crimes. His death was a result of the inhumane treatment of Union prisoners in his camp, with a mortality rate of nearly 30 percent due to disease, malnutrition and exposure to the elements. His execution marked the end of a highly publicized trial that served as a catharsis for a nation reeling from four years of bloody conflict.
Details
- Cause of Death
- Execution by hanging
- Age at Death
- 41 years
- Funeral Location
- The location of Henry Wirz's funeral is not explicitly stated in the text.
- Final Resting Place
- Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C., U.S.