Switzerland General Guillaume-Henri Dufour (b/w photo)

A contemporary representation (lithograph) of General Dufour in the Sonderbund War around 1847. Guillaume-Henri Dufour was appointed commander of the Tagsatzungtroppen in the war against the Sonderbund on 24 October 1847. The Sonderbund, a separate alliance of the cantons of Lucerne, Zug, Wallis, Fribourg and the original cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, was formed in 1845 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.