Confusing the Blue/Gray boundary

Lisa M Herschbach (herschb1@husc.harvard.edu)
Thu, 21 Apr 1994 11:34:48 ECT

I am in the midst of reading a contemporary novel of the war, set in a
hospital, in which a Union and Confederate officer find themselves
occupying adjacent beds. During the course of a conversation, they
discover that each was responsible for shooting the other. The two
become quite friendly, and when the "Rebel" dies, the Loyalist is thrown
into a very despondent state.
My question:
Is there any chance that this is based on a true story? Was there a
popular mythology surrounding the arbitrariness of the distinction
between the Blue and Gray? One would expect so, I suppose, in a war
which was symbolically at least, a war of brother against brother. Any
insights gratefully received.