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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Documents in History: 1864 Geneva Convention

Signing of the 1864 Geneva Convention
In 1864, representatives of several European countries, including the major continental powers France and Prussia, met in Geneva to sign a convention that laid down the framework to which the Red Cross started to operate. Explore its contents bellow.

Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the wounded in armies in the field

The Swiss Confederation; His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden; His Majesty the King of the Belgians; His Majesty the King of Denmark; Her Majesty the Queen of Spain; His Majesty the Emperor of the French; His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse; His Majesty the King of Italy; His Majesty the King of the Netherlands; His Majesty the King of Portugal and of the Algarves; His Majesty the King of Prussia; His Majesty the King of Würtemberg, being equally animated with the desire to soften, as much as depends on them, the evils of warfare, to suppress its useless hardships and improve the fate of wounded soldiers on the field of battle, have resolved to conclude a convention to that effect, and have named for their plenipotentiaries, viz:

The Swiss Confederation: Guillaume Henri Dufour, Grand Officer of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour, General in Chief of the federal army, Member of the Council of States; Gustave Moynier, President of the International Relief Committee for wounded soldiers and of the Geneva Society of Public Utility; and Samuel Lehmann, federal Colonel, Doctor in Chief of the federal army, Member of the National Council.

His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden: Robert Volz, Knight of the Order of the Lion of Zaehringen, M.D., Medical Councillor at the Direction of Medical Affairs; and Adolphe Steiner, Knight of the Order of the Lion of Zaehringen, Chief Staff Physician.

His Majesty the King of Belgians: Auguste Visschers, Officer of the Order of Léopold, Councillor at the Council of Mines.

His Majesty the King of Denmark: Charles-Emile Fenger, Commander of the Order of Danebrog, decorated with the silver cross of the same Order, Grand Cross of the Order of Léopold of Belgium, etc., His Councillor of State.

Her Majesty the Queen of Spain: Don José Heriberto Garcia de Quevedo, Gentleman of Her Chamber on active service, Knight of the Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic, Numerary Commander of the Order of Charles III, Knight of the first class of the Royal and Military Order of St. Ferdinand, Officer of the Legion of Honour of France, Her Minister Resident to the Swiss Confederation.

His Majesty the Emperor of the French: Georges-Charles Jagerschmidt, Officer of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Order of Léopold of Belgium, Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia of the Third class, etc., etc., Sub-Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Henri Eugene Séguineau de Préval, Knight of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour, decorated with the Imperial Order of the Medjidié of fourth class, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus of Italy, etc., etc., military Sub-Commissioner of first class; and Martin François Boudier, Officer of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour, decorated with the Imperial Order of the Medjidié of the fourth class, decorated with the medal of Military Valour of Italy, etc., etc., doctor in chief of second class.

His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hess: Charles August Brodruck, Knight of the Order of Philip of Magnanimous, of the Order of St. Michael of Bavaria, Officer of the Royal Order of the Holy Saviour, etc., Chief of Battalion, Staff Officer.

His Majesty the King of Italy: Jean Capello, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, his Consul General of Switzerland; and Felix Baroffio, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Doctor in Chief of medical division.

His Majesty the King of Netherlands: Bernard Ortuinus Théodore Henri Westenberg, Officer of His Order of the Crown of Oak, Knight of the Orders of Charles III of Spain, of the Crown of Prussia, of Adolphe of Nassau, L.D., His Secretary of Legation of Frankfort.

His Majesty the King of Portugal and of the Algarves: José Antonio Marques, Knight of the Order of Christ, of Our Lady of the Conception of Villa-Viçosa, of Saint Benedict of Aviz, of Léopold of Belgium, etc., M.D., Surgeon of Brigade, Sub-chief of the Department of Health at the Ministry of War.

His Majesty of the King of Prussia: Charles Albert de Kamptz, Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle of second class, etc., etc., His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation, Private Councillor of Legation; Godefroi Frédéric François Loeffler, Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle of third class, etc., etc., M.D., Physician in Chief of the fourth Army Corps; Georges Hermann Jules Ritter, Knight of the Order of the Crown of third class, etc., etc., Private Council at the Ministry of War.

His Majesty the King of Würtemberg:  Christophe Ulric Hahn, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, etc., Doctor of Philosophy and Theology, Member of the Central Royal Direction for Charitable Institutions:

Who, after having exchanged their powers, and found them in good and due form, agreed to the following articles:

Art. 1
Ambulances and military hospitals shall be recognized as neutral and, as such, protected and respected by the belligerents as long as they accommodate wounded and sick.

Neutrality shall end if the said ambulances or hospitals should be held by a military force.

Art. 2
Hospital and ambulance personnel, including the quarter-master’s staff, the medical, administrative and transport services, and the chaplains, shall have the benefit of the same neutrality when on duty, and while there remain any wounded to be brought in or assisted.

Art. 3
The persons designated in the preceding Article may, even after enemy occupation, continue to discharge their functions in the Hospital or ambulance with which they serve, or may withdraw to rejoin the units to which they belong.

When in these circumstances they cease their functions, such persons shall be delivered to the enemy outposts by the occupying forces.

Art. 4
The material of military hospitals being subject to the laws of war, the persons attached to such hospitals may take with them, on withdrawing, only the articles which are their own personal property.

Ambulances, on the contrary, under similar circumstances, shall retain their equipment.

Art. 5
Inhabitants of the country who bring help to the wounded shall be respected and shall remain free. Generals of the belligerent Powers shall make it their duty to notify the inhabitants of the appeal made to their humanity, and of the neutrality which humane conduct will confer.

The presence of any wounded combatant receiving shelter and care in a house shall ensure its protection. An inhabitant who has given shelter to the wounded shall be exempted from billeting and from a portion of such war contributions as may be levied.

Art. 6
Wounded or sick combatants, to whatever nation they may belong, shall be collected and cared for.

Commander-in-Chief may hand over immediately to the enemy outposts enemy combatants wounded during an engagement, when circumstances allow and subject to the agreement of both parties.

Those who, after their recovery, are recognized as being unfit for further service, shall be repatriated.

The others may likewise be sent back, on condition that they shall not again, for the duration of hostilities, take up arms.

Evacuation parties, and the personnel conducting them, shall be considered as being absolutely neutral.

Art. 7
A distinctive and uniform flag shall be adopted for hospitals, ambulances and evacuation parties. It should in all circumstances be accompanied by the national flag.

An armlet may also be worn by personnel enjoying neutrality but its issue shall be left to the military authorities.

Both flag and armlet shall bear a red cross on a white ground.

Art. 8
The implementing of the present Convention shall be arranged by the Commander-in-Chief of the belligerent armies following the instructions of their respective Governments and in accordance with the general principles set forth in this Convention.

Art. 9
The High Contacting Parties have agreed to communicate the present Convention with an invitation to accede thereto to Governments unable to appoint Plenipotentiaries to the International Conference at Geneva. The Protocol has accordingly been left open.

Art. 10
The present Convention shall be ratified and the ratification exchanged at Berne, within the next four months, or sooner if possible.


In faith whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the Convention and thereto affixed their seals.


Done at Geneva, this twenty-second day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.

Source: 
Dunant, Henry. A Memory of Solferino. Geneva, Switzerland: International Committee of the Red Cross. 1959. https://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-0361.pdf

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