Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society
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Historical Research Capabilities: Obtaining Historical Data on Andersonville from a Variety of Sources
The Andersonville Prison in southwest Georgia was one of the Confederacy’s largest prison camps. Conduct a Keyword Search using the search term Andersonville and examine photographs depicting the conditions in Andersonville. Read accounts of the prison conditions from other sources. Use the information you have gathered to script and/or conduct a mock war crimes trial of Captain Henry Wirz, the camp commandant. Compare the mock trial with the 1865 trial of Wirz, the only Confederate officer convicted and executed for war crimes.
- Was Captain Wirz guilty of war crimes for his conduct and those of the prison guards at Andersonville?
- To what extent did the conditions at Andersonville differ from those in Union prisons for Confederate prisoners of war?
- Should Wirz have been charged with war crimes?
- What alternative course of action could have been taken?
Historical Research Capabilities: Formulating Historical Questions about the Copperheads
Two items in the Civil War Treasures collection deal with an individual named Clement Vallandigham: