Immunity wasn’t given as part of surrender negotiations with Confederate politicians, though - most of whom were captured, rather than surrenders being received. That even Davis escaped the noose is a travesty.
Not to mention that many of those pardoned turned to violence and guerilla warfare and had to be crushed anyway, once they realized that the Union was serious about the whole “Black people are human beings too” thing.
Precisely. You don’t end a war by executing everybody. That just makes the opposition more likely to keep fighting forever.
It’s far more efficient to give immunity to the ones making the decisions to end the war, even if they are distasteful people.
Immunity wasn’t given as part of surrender negotiations with Confederate politicians, though - most of whom were captured, rather than surrenders being received. That even Davis escaped the noose is a travesty.
Not to mention that many of those pardoned turned to violence and guerilla warfare and had to be crushed anyway, once they realized that the Union was serious about the whole “Black people are human beings too” thing.