Doesn't international law require some sort of trial before hand? Summary execution doesn't strike me as in keeping with the spirit of any sort of legal system. I realize that the leadership of the confederacy didn't give a damn about legalities - witness their refusal to staff a supreme court as called for in their constitution - but one would think that they might at least have gone through the motions.
NOPE! punitive expeditions are well within the confines of the LoW. tradition says that the "monitoring power" is to be notified AFTER the end of the war as to the disposition (this likely means the location of the criminals remains)made of any criminals killed during such operations.
in the 19th century the "monitoring power" was the Papal States OR any neutral power;today the "monitoring power" is the Swiss Republic and/or the UN.
for dixie,sw