The National tribune., 1909-05-06
THE w1Rz MONUMENT.

1 THE WIRZ MONUMENT.
| May IL has been set apart for th'
dedication of the Wirz Monument a
4 1Andersenyille. Ga. The following are
the inscriptions finally decided uper
for the monument:
North Side.
when time shall have softened pas
lsion and prejudice. when reason shall
have stripped the mask from misrep-
Presentation. then Justice, holding even
/ ly her scales, will require much of past
censures and praise to change places
Jefferson Davis. December. 1888"
Sonth Side.
'-Discharging his duty with such hu-
manity as the harsh circumstances of
the times and the policy of the foe
permitted. Capt. Wirz become at last
l the victim of a misdirected popular
clamor. He was arrested in the time
of peace. while under the protection
of people, tried by a military COM
mission of a service to which he
did not belong, and condemned to
ignominious death on charges of ex-
cessive cruelty to Federal prisoners.
He Indignantly spurned pardon prof
fered on condition that he would in
eriminate President Davis and thus ex-
onerate himself from charges of which
both were innocent"
East Side.
In memory of Capt. Henry Rirz,
iC S. A. Born Zurich, Switzerland,
1922: sentenced to death and executed
at Washington, d. c.. Nov. 10, 1865.
To rescue his name from the stigma at
tached to it by embittered prejudice
this shaft is erected by the Georgia Di-
vision, United Daughters of the Con-
federacy."
1T is hard on our men held in
Southern prisons not to exchange them.
but it is humanity to those left in the
ranks to fight Our battles. At this par
tic8lar time to release all rebel pris-
oners would insure Sherman's defeat
and would compromise our safety
re.'-UlysSes S. Grant Aug. Is, 1864.
The inscription on the south side is
the only one that is worth while dis
cussing. This completely mistates the
whole proposition. There was no mis-
directed public clamor." Capt. Wirz
was arrested upon charges of acts out
side of his duty as a soldier in the SER
vice of the Southern Confederacy. He
had no parole and the terms of John
ston's surrender. as of all others, did
not cover men who had been guilty of
crimes. against the laws and customs of
war. No surrender ever did make such
an inclusion. He did not Indignantly
spurn a pardon" for the reason that
none was offered him, and not for a
moment did the question of Jefferson
Dayis's connection with him enter into
the trial Of his case. It must be re-
membered that Wirz was mere Cap
tain and he had as little knowledge and
connection with the President of the
Southern Confederacy as a Captain in
Lees army had with his Commanders
plans for the battle of Gettysburg. He
could have had as little personal knowl-
Of what was Davis.s policy as
Captain in Braggs army could have
had of the invasion of Kentucky. Any
soldier will see how ridiculous it is to
allege that a mere Captain could have
been in the confidence and intrusted
with the secrets of the President of the
Southern Confederacy.
We will put again the whole matter
in nut shell SO that the outside world
may understand it, tho the Daughters
of the Confcderacy will shut their eyes
ebstinately to the truth. Capt. Wirz
was arrested. tried, convicted and hung
upon charges that he had I'm his capac-
ity as a subordinate officer in charge of
the prison at Andersonville committed
acts Of murder and fragrant cruelty, in
violation of the laws and customs of
war. The Military Commission which
tried him was composed of some of the
most eminent men in the country, men
by their high character
and eminent fairness. The specific
acts alleged in the charges and specif-
cations were conclusively proved by
z29 eyewitness, and in addition to the
charges preferred against him the com.
mission found Wirz guilty of other
crimes than those specifically set forth
in the charges. He was executed the
same as murderers. ravishers, robbers
and brigands were executed for private
acts outside and beyond his military
duty. He was not arrested in time of
peace" for the war was legally still
going on. His crimes were of the ma
ture of those committed by Quantreil, |
5u Munday and other noted banditti
and outlaws, some of whom were exc
cuted by drum-head court-martial and |
others would have been summariiy |
shot had they been caught