| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of the introduction of Confederate land mines during the American Civil War on contemporary ethical military standards. The history of Gabriel Rains's career in the Confederate army and government best reflects this debate in military ethics. A widely accepted if unwritten antebellum military code initially ignited opposition to land mine use, but resistance declined as the war progressed into a bloody and protracted conflict. Confederate leaders all but completely embraced the new weapon by wars' end, marking a complete reversal of the ethical standards held at the outbreak of war. Confederate land mine use forced combatants to choose between a pre-Civil War vision of "humane" war and the realities of the conflict at hand. As the reality of defeat began to stare Confederate leaders in the face, they chose the land mine. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the Department of History. |
| General note | Advisor: Michael Palmer |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University 1997 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-103). |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | masters theses. |
| Genre/form | doctoral dissertations. |
| Genre/form | theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
