My father passed his interest in Civil War history on to me, mostly through his enthusiastic tours of the Gettysburg battlefield that he provided over the years to me and my children. After his death, my mom gave me some of his books on Civil War history. Recently, I read My Brother's Keeper: Union & Confederate Soldiers' Acts of Mercy during the Civil War by Daniel N. Rolph.

I confess, I had a bit of a start when I opened the book and saw an inscription on the title page to my dad, from the author, dated July 11, 2002. Dad, I imagine, attended a signing or discussion event soon after the book was published, and I can easily see him going up afterwards to chat with Rolph. I can just bet he had some interesting and insightful things to say.

The book shares a seldom-seen side of the Civil War. Tales of brutality, brother fighting brother, incalculable personal losses -- these are common stories from the war. But Rolph focuses on the acts of decency, basic human compassion, that he uncovered on both sides of the conflict.

It can be as simple as making a fallen foe comfortable in his final moments. Providing water to wounded men on the battlefield. Taking a moment to talk with an injured enemy, maybe even promising to send a letter or token back to his family after a battle.

Rolph has uncovered a wealth of such stories, anecdotes that were often recorded and shared by soldiers from the North and South after the war. In some cases, he quotes directly from a letter or newspaper account. He describes post-war reunions between enemies who remembered a moment's kindness.

In one account, for example, Rolph describes an encounter when four Rebel soldiers visited a federal camp near Mobile, Alabama, and shared a drink with their erstwhile foes. "They parted the best of friends," an observer wrote, "to endeavor to kill each other, if possible, the next day."

In the midst of bloodshed, it's nice to read these simple reminders that people on opposite sides of a conflict can still respect one another and show mercy to their enemies, even if they were trying to shoot each other just moments before, or might be trying to do so again tomorrow.

This is an unusually nice book about warfare. I enjoyed reading it, and I bet my dad did, too. I wish I could chat with him about it now.