Civilized Warfare

The Fate of Liberty maintains that by and large, both sides in the American Civil War live up to the standards of "civilized" or "Christian" warfare, despite a number of temptations to depart from them. At sea, Union ships obey international law that prescribes releasing seamen on neutral ships caught trying to run the blockade into Southern ports. Most ships are British, and the crews are multinational. However, some Southerners are among them and claim the same right to speedy release as the foreigners. The ships and cargoes are forfeit under international law, but the crews must be freed. The Navy objects most of those released sign onto other voyages, but can do nothing until it is shown many vessels are, in fact, owned by the Confederate government. Pilots and other key crewmen then begin to be held as prisoners of war. Having always been the country...