Lincoln’s Code The Laws of War in American History

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Pulitzer Prize FinalistBancroft Prize WinnerABA Silver Gavel Award WinnerA New York Times Notable Book of the YearIn the closing days of 1862, just three weeks before Emancipation, the administration of Abraham Lincoln commissioned a code setting forth the laws of war for US armies. It announced standards of conduct in wartimeconcerning torture, prisoners of war, civilians, spies, and slavesthat shaped the course of the Civil War. By the twentieth century, Lincolns 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 charactersWashington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Lincolnas they crafted the articles that would change the course of world history. Witts engrossing exploration of the dilemmas at the heart of the laws of war is a prehistory of our own era. Lincolns 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.

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