Execution of Henry Wirz
Partly a victim of circumstances, Henry Wirz oversaw an operation in which thousands of inmates died, and was given few resources to work with. He was hanged on November 10, 1865, at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington D.C.
"Nobody who saw [Henry Wirz] die today will think any the less of him. He disappointed all those who expected to see him quiver at the brink of death. He met his fate, not with bravado, or defiance, but with a quiet, cheerful indifference. Smiles even played upon his countenance until the black coat shut out from his eyes the sunlight and the world forever. His physical misery, whatever it may have been, was completely hidden in his last and successful effort to die bravely and without any exhibition of trepidation or fear, so his step was steady, his demeanor calm, his tongue silent, except as he offered up his last prayer, and all his bearing evinced more of the man than at any time since his first incarceration...Nevertheless, he met his fate with unblanched eye, unmoving feature, and a calm, deliberate prayer for all those whom he has deemed his persecutors. He seemed to have convinced himself of his own innocence, and his last principal conversation was full of protestations that he died unjustly, and that others were just as guilty as he." -The New York Times; Execution of Wirz; Closing Scenes in the Life of the Andersonville Jailor, November 1865 |
"I know what orders are, Major. I am being hanged for obeying them." -Henry Wirz, before his execution |