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My Brother's Keeper
Countless books on the Civil War recount the carnage, vengeance, and heroism in battle. But there was another aspect of the Civil War as 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-known genre of Civil War history.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 25, 2023
This was a collection of excerpts from journals and stories about acts of compassion, kindness, and mercy during the Civil War. This was a quick read but impactful. These stories included simple compassionate acts of giving water, medical aid, acts of hospitality on the battlefield, Rebels aiding Yankees and vice versa, civilians and soldiers aiding one another, prisoners and prison guards, and post-war acts of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Overall this was a quick read that showed a lighter and more humane side of America's terrible history. I would recommend it to readers of the Civil War. Thanks!
The Civil War portrays individuals who, with differing opinions under horrendous conditions, could nevertheless show compassion and respect for one another as human beings, as in the timeless Biblical tale of the "Good Samaritan," a lesson too often ignored in today's litigious, politically correct environment. pg 5
Overall this was a quick read that showed a lighter and more humane side of America's terrible history. I would recommend it to readers of the Civil War. Thanks!
March 8, 2018
Quite disappointing. Merely a compendium of anecdotes. Most are cobbled from a few soldier diaries or letters, but mainly they are taken remarkably uncritically from postwar newspaper accounts and journals or books. It is notable how many sources are supposed recollections in detail, written for magazine audiences in the 19th century balm years of post facto glorification of both armies and the politics of reconciliation. Far too many anecdotes are taken as completely true, without any apparent effort at verification and little at qualification. They are simply lifted verbatim (multi-page quotations abound) from sources like Confederate Veteran, c.1880 to 1925, or its Union equivalents. The second half of that period saw the full flush of "Lost Cause" revisionism (and statue-building and public commemoration of the CSA) intended to put down and keep down African-American political and social rights. That travesty against our fellow citizens is only now being corrected in town squares and on named High Schools and street signs that celebrate the men and armies that defended and sought to perpetuate slavery. This book gathers in the harvest of Southern nobility, warms it over, and serves it up alongside a comparably uncritical portrait of Union virtue.
There is a semi-religious afterglow to the main text. That's fine, but is more editorial than enlightening. There is most certainly a trite, traditional, and for a historian or other serious modern student of American history in the context of world history, a deeply archaic moral and nationalist exceptionalism that is argued not just implicitly but overtly.
Most of the chapters, such as the one on prisons, are almost wholly lacking in proper context. For example, we get a line or two about the awfulness of Andersonville or Elmira, then a chapter celebrating uncommon morality inside the prison systems as if it was common morality. Again and again we are told the armies did not hate each other, and would have preferred to embrace in fraternal bliss if only there wasn't a damn war on. Author holds a doctorate in folk lore rather than history. It shows.
There is a semi-religious afterglow to the main text. That's fine, but is more editorial than enlightening. There is most certainly a trite, traditional, and for a historian or other serious modern student of American history in the context of world history, a deeply archaic moral and nationalist exceptionalism that is argued not just implicitly but overtly.
Most of the chapters, such as the one on prisons, are almost wholly lacking in proper context. For example, we get a line or two about the awfulness of Andersonville or Elmira, then a chapter celebrating uncommon morality inside the prison systems as if it was common morality. Again and again we are told the armies did not hate each other, and would have preferred to embrace in fraternal bliss if only there wasn't a damn war on. Author holds a doctorate in folk lore rather than history. It shows.
February 14, 2019
Excellent book! And so let it be known, it's written by my Dad.
February 23, 2010
This is a book written by my good friend Dan Rolph. I love the stories in this book about the compassionate acts of soldiers in the most bleak of times. I know of no other books quite like it.
July 27, 2012
This was an interesting book about acts of kindness that was color blind (neither blue nor gray) during the Civil War (The war of Northern Aggression for those in Louisiana)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews