"In the Civil War, Surrendering Was Often an Act of Honor" Topic

"To put such numbers in context, the number of soldiers who surrendered is approximately equal to the number of soldiers killed. If death shaped the Civil War, so did surrender.

In no other American war did surrender happen so frequently. Americans have repudiated surrender in recent history, labeling it un-American. Against this background, the Civil War presents a startling contrast. Americans—Northerners and Southerners alike—frequently surrendered, usually without stigma. Although one could surrender honorably, dishonor and humiliation always loomed in the periphery and could be avoided only by carefully evaluating whom one surrendered to and whom one allowed to surrender and under what conditions…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Surrender has had a very interesting history. It is often an unwritten agreement between the warring parties. No one in his right mind surrendered to the Assyrians, or to the Mongols. With the Romans it depended. If they offered you good or acceptable conditions, it was often the best you could do since once you refused and were conquered it was either death or slavery. In the era of the Condottieri it surrender was often part of the business plan. The so-called "Wars of Religion" were vicious with massacres and destruction on all sides. During the limited wars of the eighteenth century surrender was, for the most part, quite acceptable once the prospects of success looked dim. In colonial conflicts, western prisoners were often tortured by tribal enemies. In more recent times, for Imperial Japanese soldiers in WWII, surrender was worse than death and therefore, not an option. Other fanatics such as the SS and such rarely surrendered. It is a known fact that a surrendering soldier's chances to come out alive in the heat of combat are poor. Most "successful" surrenders are made by large groups after negotiations. Surrender is an interesting human aspect of warfare.

Thanks.

Amicalement
Armand