Compassionate Soldier: Remarkable True Stories of Mercy, Heroism, and Honor from the Battlefield

Gr 9 Up—In contrast to the plethora of volumes describing the carnage and horrors of war, this collection focuses on those who could have taken the easy way out but instead chose a path that often put their own safety in jeopardy. Individual chapters tell each person's story: the British captain who had a clear shot at George Washington but refused to shoot a man in the back; the Confederate soldier who managed to stop the Battle of Fredericksburg so that he could take water to the dying Union soldiers on the battlefield; nurse Edith Cavell, who tended wounded World War I German soldiers but was shot for helping British prisoners escape; and the Nazi commander who defied Hitler's order to destroy Paris upon the arrival of Allied troops. These are just a few of the individuals whose accounts did not make headlines but are given their proper due here. Though fascinating, the text is quite advanced and will likely have adult appeal, too.