But is an enemy so execrable that tho in captivity his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.
ATTRIBUTION:
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), U.S. president. Letter, March 27, 1779, to Patrick Henry. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 2, p. 242, ed. Julian P. Boyd, et al. (1950).
