By Patrick Naughton
During heavy fighting along one sector of the Petersburg front on a February day in 1865, a Union lieutenant aided a wounded brother officer. The lieutenant later recalled how he assisted his comrade from the battlefield to an ambulance before returning to his command. The entire event took no less than 15 minutes.
Officers who had performed similar acts of humanity on battlefields across the war-torn South were remembered in official reports and other writings as heroes. But this time, the well-meaning lieutenant was branded a coward, and hauled before a court martial.
His trial offers insights into how leaders treat honor and pride, and how differently soldiers react under combat conditions.
