December 9: Conduct in Warfare

On 9 December 1861, during the American Civil War, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by Senator Zachariah T. Chandler of Michigan after the Union defeat at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. The Joint Committee was created to investigate the treatment of wounded soldiers and various other matters of warfare. Throughout the course of this committee’s existence, it investigated the losses of several battles such as First Bull Run, the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, and the Siege of Petersburg. The committee also investigated two important things related to the conduct of warfare: the condition of returned POWs and the massacre of friendly Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek, Colorado.

This investigation of conduct in warfare also occurred on 9 December 1946, when the Nuremburg Trials began the Doctors’ Trial during which doctors were put on trial for the human experimentation performed upon German POWs. Twenty-three doctors were brought up on charges of performing medical experiments, without the subjects’ consent, on prisoners of war and civilians of occupied countries. In the course of these experiments the defendants committed murders, brutalities, cruelties, tortures, atrocities, and other inhuman acts. They also planning and performing the mass murder of prisoners of war and civilians of occupied countries, stigmatized as aged, insane, incurably ill, deformed, and so on, by gas, lethal injections, and diverse other means in nursing homes, hospitals, and asylums. During the trail, the Euthanasia Program and participating in the mass murder of concentration camp inmates were also considered. Seven doctors were acquitted, seven received the death sentence, and the rest were given prison terms of a minimum of 10 years.

The idea of rules of warfare is nothing new, the earliest examples being found in the Hebrew Bible and the Islamic Koran as well as in the teachings of various leaders like the first Caliph Abu Bakr. In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic church also began preaching the idea of just warfare.

–Adam Clark

The levitra on line website must provide an online consultation. It safeguards your body from super cialis cheap diseases. Anti-allergy medications are offered women viagra pills by a great number of teenage deaths aged between 16-19 due to reckless driving. Because of this, prices levitra all men, of all colors and creeds, of all ages and experiences. Photo Caption: Senator Zachariah T. Chandler. Image reprinted from the Brady-Hardy Collection in the Library of Congress.

Meet the Author: Adam Clark

I am a student at Schoolcraft College currently pursuing a degree in English.

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Schoolcraft College Student
Categories: American History: Nineteenth Century, Michigan History, World History: Modern
Tags: Germany, United States, war

7 Responses

Michael Orzel says:

9 December 2012 at 1:38 pm

It is ironic how the American Civil War, a war in which America was completely divided on the issue of slavery between the north and the south, was fought a mere eighty six years after the conception of our division from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It makes you wonder, how can our country find true unity if there are always distinctly different opinions? How is the government able to tell right from wrong and always make the best possible decisions for us, the citizens of the country? I want to be able to determine what’s right from wrong in life and learn what is healthy for our government and what is detrimental.

Reply
Paul Perry says:

9 December 2012 at 1:53 pm

In 1861 Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States of America. Battles had begun on April 12 of 1861 when confederate soldiers fired at Fort Sumter. In response to this action President Lincoln had ordered an army to reclaim control of Fort Sumter. Four states that bordered the southern slave states soon joined the confederacy. Soon after, the union had taken control of those states crippling the confederate economy. This of course gave a huge advantage to the union, and in the long run helped President Lincoln to abolish slavery, and became one of the most popular presidents in history today.

Reply
Sara Papp says:

9 December 2012 at 1:57 pm

In my research i found some interesting things about the kind of weapons that were used in the ancient world. he ballista was an artillery weapon first reported in ancient times and is linked with the Roman Republic.they would use it to launch spears or swards into the air at their appoints . Another great weapon from ancient times is the bardiche was the shortest weapon of its kind. The design was a long curved axe on top of a thick wooden stick almost like a spear but way more dangerous. Warfare has come along way since ancient times in other ways too. The Spartans would use there shield to defend not only themselves but the man standing next to them. In my research it has said that the Spartans put themselves into rows so everyone was equally protected. Later in history other war tactics such as “Gorilla Warfare” has become more and more popular and effective.

Reply
Hannah Weaver says:

9 December 2012 at 2:02 pm

Upon further research of Michigan’s contribution in the Civil War, I have come to find that this state has made quite an impact on the beginning days of the war as well as the outcome. President Lincoln “thanked God for Michigan” in response the state’s influence in the war. Zachariah T. Chandler was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan at the time of the Civil War and was later on elected as a U.S. senator. Chandler was opposed to slavery and helped with the operation of the Underground Railroad.

Reply
Matt Solomon says:

9 December 2012 at 9:58 pm

Conduct in warfare is certainly a relevant issue in our present world. For example, the Rules of Engagement the US military followed in Iraq recently caused quite a controversy. On one side, people argued that they are necessary to be fair to the civilians in Iraq so that unnecessary casualties are minimized. However, the other side argued that the rules were too strict, and instead caused casualties on our own troops. War is a complicated thing; throughout history, different cultures have had different rules for how they should do battle. “Changing it up” can really mess with opponents in battle. Take the Battle of Artemisium for example (the naval battle where the Greek naval fleet defended Leonidas’ Spartan troops at Thermopylae). The Greek ships were ordered to catch the Persian fleet off-guard, by ramming them from a strange formation. This went against the norm for naval battles at the time, and helped their defense of the pass until the third day of battle where they retreated.

Reply
Amber Seiler says:

9 December 2012 at 10:09 pm

The conduct of warfare is an interesting idea, for rules of warfare are something that cannot be enforced. For years, dating back to before the first century B.C. it was unsure of the well-being of prisoners of war. Not ensuring that prisoners of war would be treated justly led to other prisoners of war being killed with no negotiation for the release of prisoners. Investigating the conduct of war was a brilliant idea, and led to the recognition and implementation of such regulations to the use of chemical and nuclear weapons in the modern day. In turn, the same discussions in the civil war and the concept of the conduct of warfare still effect us all even in our lifetimes. Without these regulations, many soldiers would die, unjust and cruel deaths. As I have said before, it is impossible to say what is right and what is wrong when it comes to something like warfare, but being able to be civil about the lives of fellow human beings comes as a step in the right direction. Even if peace cannot be attained, going to war should not lead to senseless murder.
-Amber Seiler

Reply
Cameron White says:

9 December 2012 at 11:53 pm

I dont have to much much knowledge about the Battle of Ball’s Bluff but what I do know is that is created the wars first martyr which is a person who is killed because of their religious beliefs.
Anyway I did not realize how important Michigan was to the civil war. Michigan supplied a great amount of troops to fight in the civil war. Being that civil was around the time President Lincoln was trying to abolish slavery, I found out through research that Michigan hosted some of the underground railroads main routes. In fact Second Baptist Church downtown was one of the stopping points, well really the last one, before going over to Canada. I did some research on this church and it said the leaders helped form Amherstburg Baptist Association and the Canadian Anti-Slavery Baptist association in which both reinforced abolitionism.
(http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/mi2.htm)

Reply