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Lincoln's Code: The Laws of War in American History
Lincoln's Code The Laws of War in American History Author:John Fabian Witt In the closing days of 1862, just three weeks before enacting the Emancipation Proclamation, the administration of Abraham Lincoln commissioned a code setting forth the laws of war for U.S. armies. It announced standards of conduct in wartime---concerning torture, prisoners of war, civilians, spies and slaves---whiich shaped the course of the Ci... more »vil War. By the twentieth century, Lincoln’s code would be incorporated into the Geneva Conventions and form the basis of a new international law of war.
In this deeply original book, John Fabian Witt tells the fascinating history of the laws of war and its eminent cast of characters---Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Lincoln---as they crafted the articles that would change the course of world history. Witt’s engrossing exploration of the dilemmas at the heart of the laws of war is a prehistory of our own era. Lincoln’s Code reveals that the heated controversies of twenty-first-century warfare have roots going back to the beginnings of American history. It is a compelling story of ideals under pressure and a landmark contribution to our understanding of the American experience.« less