The Show Trial of Major Wirz – Today In Southern History
23 July 1865
23 July 1865
On this date in 1865…
The war crimes trial of Confederate Major, Swiss citizen, and Andersonville prison commandant Henry Wirz began in a show trial similar to that given Mary Surratt, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and others at the end of the War of Northern Aggression. He was charged with 13 murders. One of those he supposedly committed was said to have occurred in February of 1864, before Wirz even arrived at Andersonville. Of the other 12 charges of murder, each and every one of the victims’ names was unknown.
Other Years:
1632 – Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe, France. Many of their descendants would become the Cajuns of Louisiana after deportation from Canada
1832 – The Eastern Cherokee held a council with special envoy Elisha Chester in Red Clay, Tennessee and reject U.S. President Andrew Jackson’s proposals for their removal to Indian Territory. The refuse to hold further negotiations as long as the federal government fails to live up to its previous treaties.
1863 – The first 60 midshipmen were assigned to the Confederate Naval Academy on board the Confederate States School Ship C.S.S. Patrick Henry.
1864 – The Confederate cruiser C.S.S. Tallahassee was commissioned as a commerce raider.
1904 – The ice cream cone was invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.
1956 – The Bell X-2 rocket plane set a world aircraft speed record of 1,957 mph or Mach 2.87 with Lt. Col. Frank K “Pete” Everest Jr. of Fairmont, WV at the controls
1973 – Ozark Air Flight 809 crashes after a lightning strike while landing in St. Louis, killing 38 people
1989 – Thunderstorm winds gusted to 85 MPH at Fort Smith, AR
1997 – Dallas TV Station KXAS settled with Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin and Erik Williams for reporting false sex assault allegations against them
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