One of the cornerstones of the foundation of this country is the right to a trial by jury as prescribed in the Constitution. This right is granted even during times of war and dictated by Gen. Order No100 which was created in 1863. The murder of over 70 men in retaliation killings ordered by the Union commander of Kentucky, Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge was a complete breach of justice system as prescribed by these laws. The men publicly executed in Kentucky got none of the rights guaranteed to them by law. The justice system in our country allows it citizens to a trial as the constitution states in Article III Section. 2 “The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the
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Retaliation killing is unjustifiable due to its immorality. The retaliation killing such as done under Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge’s order 59 and the tactic of murdering four men for someone else’s crimes was so heinous that it was written out of the history books. One of the leading authorities in Civil War history James M. McPherson whose college text book Ordeal by Fire is widely used across campuses in the United States, including Indiana University. McPherson, a professor of American history at Princeton University has received numerous fellowships and awards for his studies on the Civil War. However McPherson writes in Ordeal by Fire “the Lincoln administration did not implement an eye for an eye retaliation” [McPherson]. McPherson never mentions the four for one relation killings done by the Union commander of Kentucky with Lincolns blessing. Lincoln was well aware of those proceeds and as commander in chief responsible [Library of Congress]. The fact that this type of atrocity was left out of the history attests to the heinous immoral nature of these crimes. Allowing such grievous actions to be forgotten is an invitation for them to be
Retaliation killing is unjustifiable due to its immorality. The retaliation killing such as done under Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge’s order 59 and the tactic of murdering four men for someone else’s crimes was so heinous that it was written out of the history books. One of the leading authorities in Civil War history James M. McPherson whose college text book Ordeal by Fire is widely used across campuses in the United States, including Indiana University. McPherson, a professor of American history at Princeton University has received numerous fellowships and awards for his studies on the Civil War. However McPherson writes in Ordeal by Fire “the Lincoln administration did not implement an eye for an eye retaliation” [McPherson]. McPherson never mentions the four for one relation killings done by the Union commander of Kentucky with Lincolns blessing. Lincoln was well aware of those proceeds and as commander in chief responsible [Library of Congress]. The fact that this type of atrocity was left out of the history attests to the heinous immoral nature of these crimes. Allowing such grievous actions to be forgotten is an invitation for them to be