Andersonville Trial

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Description

This post - Civil War court-martial drama focuses on the trial of a Confederate officer who ran the notorious prisoner-of-war camp in Andersonville, Georgia, where over 14,000 Union prisoners died from disease, starvation, and neglect. The defendant, Captain Henry Wirz, justified his actions with a plea that he was only following orders. He believed he was relieved of any personal responsibility because he was performing his duty. The Army prosecutor contends, however, that moral men must rebel against barbaric or inhumane orders - even if they are within the framework imposed by military discipline. This riveting real-life story has elements of Inherit the Wind, The Caine Mutiny, A Few Good Men, and especially the Nuremberg and Eichmann war crime trials. George C. Scott, who had played a starring role in the original 1959 Broadway production, directs the Hollywood Television Theatre adaptation.