William Fleck's comment on the romantic, heroic element at
Gettysburg brings to mind what seems a puzzling aspect of
the attitudes of soldiers during the war, the ease with
which so many seem to swing from moments of extreme
violence, reveling in the massacre of the enemy, to
admiration of and empathy with their enemies. I was
impressed with this contrast again recently in reading the
account of the Battle of Franklin in Wiley Sword's _Embrace
an Angry Wind_. I can't remember seeing much of this
attitude in reading of any other war.
mike o'hear
ohear@cvax.ipfw.indiana.edu