The sociopaths in gov’t wanted the bloodletting to continue so they did everything possible to destroy the Christmas Peace.
Gov’t leadership doesn’t give a hoot about soldierss lives. Washington is the same as the others. Just take a gander at the zillions of homeless veterans wandering our streets. That’s all one needs to know about Washington’s true respect for the military.
It was the young men on both sides who pushed for war. The old generals did not want it.
Wise leaders on both sides tried to stop it. But the young men (plenty of them on both sides) pushed for war, for glory, status, and booty.
In general, it is the young men who push for war, and the older generation that cautions against it.