Henry H. Riggs

Rev. Riggs was born in Sivas in 1875 to a family of missionaries stationed in the Ottoman Empire. He grew up in the area, traveling to the United States to attend Carleton College in Minnesota and Auburn Seminary. He was president of Euphrates College in Harpoot from 1903 to 1910. After a break, he resumed missionary work in Harpoot in 1912, where he stayed until 1917. He worked as a teacher and evangelist among Armenian refugees in Beirut from 1923 to 1940. Rev. Riggs died in Jerusalem in 1943.

Days of Tragedy in Armenia: Personal Experiences in Harpoot, 1915–1917

An Armenian missionary born in the Ottoman Empire, gives a first hand account of events in Kharpert during the Genocide. Writen immediately after the events, this story tells of the destruction of Armenian neighborhoods within the context of the Ottoman war effort on the Caucasian front. The author's vivid details will highlight the systematic way the Armenian Genocide was carried out.

This book is probably the most detailed local history of the Armenian Genocide written in English. In Riggs' forthright style, both tragic and ironic elements of the monstruxse events provide a disturbing but compelling narrative. Students of World War I and the modern Near East will also learn from this volume.