[Non-Sequitur]

They were all out of uniform. But the confederates knew tha they were Union soldiers when they captured them.

[nathanbedford]

Am I wrong in this, I thought a soldier out of uniform could be shot as a spy. Did that not obtain in the 19th century? There are good reasons for this convention if it if fact exists because soldiers as combatants are expected to observe certain rules and therefore, entitled to the protection of the rules.