Switzerland Special Union War (b/w photo)

Prisoners of Landstuermer during the Sonderbund War. On 23 November 1847, after bloody battles at Honau, Gisikon and Meierskappel, the Swiss troops succeeded in breaking through to Lucerne. The Sonderbund, a separate alliance of the cantons of Lucerne, Zug, Wallis, Fribourg and the original cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, was formed as a protective association to safeguard their territorial rights after a dispute over the dissolution of a monastery in Aargau and the appointment of the Jesuits to Lucerne had divided Switzerland politically and denominationally. After a resolution to dissolve the Sonderbund by the united Tagsatzung had shown no effect and all attempts at mediation had failed, the Tagsatzung decided to dissolve the Sonderbund by force on 4 November 1847. Only 25 days later, on 29 November 1847, the surrender of the Valais marked the end of the Sonderbund War.