Andersonville Trial Review

It all began when a company of Union soldiers were captured by the Confederates during the American Civil War, they were transported to the Andersonville internment camp for POWs in the South. However, because the disagreement between commanding officers, there has been no arrangement made for prisoners to be exchanged or set to freedom. As a result, the prison lacked in the areas of trained and adequately equipped prison guards; a gross lack of food, tools and medical supplies; severe overcrowding; poor sanitary conditions; and a lack of potable water. At its most overcrowded, in August 1864, the camp held approximately thirty-two thousand Union prisoners and the monthly mortality rate from disease and malnutrition reached three thousand. Around forty-five thousand prisoners were held in the camp's fourteen-month existence, thirteen thousand had died.

Henry Wirz, a private in the 4th Louisiana Infantry. He served on detached duty as a prison guard in Alabama before being transferred to help command at Andersonville. I believe that he should be found guilty on the charges of impairing the lives of the Union POW's, and committing violent acts of assaults upon Union soldiers. In the court case Henry was charged with; Specification #1: Henry Wirz on the eight day of July, 1864, while acting as commander did make an assault upon a prisoner (unknown name) inflicting upon the body a mortal wound with a pistol - the said soldier died the ninth day ofJuly, 1864. There were many other charges upon Wartz of assaulting men, then few days later they would die. The defendants were arguing that Henry had great difficulty in lifting both of his arms, but later in the court case one of the crossexaminers lifted his arm showing the indeed Henry could lift his arms, soon later he even admitted he was able to lift is arms. Showing he could indeed strike a man maybe not with great force but he could do it.