Stephen, our discussion about strict adherence to one's oath of office (whether president, military officer or law enforcement officer) reminded me of an ethics class we officer candidates were required to attend.

The instructor asked one of those "impossible scenario" questions, then had us discuss it. The scenario was this --

You are spotting a naval gunfire support mission. The enemy is lobbing mortar shells at an American military hospital. You observe the mortar fire to be coming from an orphanage. The enemy mortar crew has surrounded their position with scores of cute, lovable, dimple-cheeked little orphans. Each mortar round they fire is killing Americans.

Question -- Do you call in the fire mission, killing all the orphans in the process, and save American lives; or do you check fire, save the orphans, and sacrifice American lives?

Ancillary questions -- Whose lives are more valuable? What laws, if any, of God and man are you prepared to break to resolve the situation? If you elect not to fire the mission, but your superior officer orders you to call in the coordinates, do you obey his orders? Does that make you culpable? If you disobey the direct order are you aiding and abetting the enemy in combat?

Needless to say, it was an interesting and vigorous discussion period. After the instructor resumed his lecture, however, we were disappointed when he refused to provide any guidance on the subject. He said that when we became commissioned officers we would have to face situations that required choices that would involve conflicts between duty and conscience, between the laws of man and the laws of God -- and we would have to live with the consequences of our choices. In war, there are no absolutes except for victory or defeat. If we were not prepared to deal with it, we should withdraw from officer candidate school.

Because of this experience, and other things I experienced in the service, I am less certain than some others on this board appear to be, about the morality or legality of decisions made by leaders during the Civil War.