Lorien Foote Delivers 2022-23 Crozer Lecture

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

 

On October 26, Professor Lorien Foote of Texas A&M University delivered 2022-23 Crozer Lecture, entitled "The Sternest Feature of War: The Ritual of Retaliation in the American Civil War." As Professor Foote explained, "commanders in every military campaign of the American Civil War used retaliation against prisoners of war." Her lecture described "the basic rules and established rituals of retaliation, and how these rules reflected three essential elements in the American conception of civilized war: restraint, the accumulated wisdom of centuries, and national honor."

Professor Foote's lecture drew upon material from her latest book, Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, Soldiers, and Campaigns in the American Civil War (UNC Press, 2021).