My Brother's Keeper: Union and Confederate Soldiers' Acts of Mercy During the Civil War

Countless books on the Civil War recount the carnage, vengeance, and heroism in battle. But there was another aspect of the Civil War as well: one in which Yankees and Rebels during the heat of battle saved one another, often at risk of their own lives; one in which soldiers and civilians, prison guards and prisoners, though on opposing sides, not only traded with one another, but gave humanitarian aid and sustenance in times of need. This "brotherhood for the enemy" contradicted all the rules of normal warfare but did in fact take place. Using primary source materials such as diaries, letters, military reports, and newspapers, Daniel Rolph opens up a unique and little-know genre of Civil War history.