Lincoln pardons sleeping Vermont soldier

[J. Beckert]

A great story and thank you for posting it. For me, it really hits it home what a different time it was - an exhausted young man, volunteering to fill in for a sick brother, could be put to death for simply falling asleep. The people of the times thoughts on slavery and race also have to viewed through this lens. Then we can understand why what we view as morally wrong today was viewed differently 160 years ago.