Lincoln's Union Army Accused of Horrific War Crimes Against Southern Civilians

New book details atrocities that 'make the Israeli Defense Force look like benevolent Christians'

Feb. 6, 2026 at 11:23pm

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In a controversial new book, author Paul Craig Roberts argues that the Union Army under Abraham Lincoln committed egregious war crimes against Southern civilians during the Civil War, far exceeding the brutality of the Israeli Defense Force. The book, "War Crimes Against Southern Civilians" by Walter Brian Cisco, documents numerous instances of looting, murder, rape, and the forced relocation of entire communities by Union troops, which Roberts says have been covered up by corrupt historians.

Why it matters

This article challenges the traditional historical narrative around the Civil War, painting Lincoln's Union Army as an "organized gang of plunderers, murderers, and rapists" that deliberately targeted and terrorized Southern civilians. If true, it would undermine the widely held view of the Union as the morally righteous side fighting to end slavery and preserve the nation. The comparison to modern-day Israel also draws parallels between historical and contemporary debates over the use of force against civilian populations.

The details

According to the article, the Union Army's actions in the South included forcibly relocating entire county populations, raping Southern women, and executing Southern men on the grounds that they were aiding the Confederacy. Cisco's book is said to provide "example after example" of Union troops looting and burning Southern towns to the ground upon arrival. The article also claims the Union's "war of hate" against the South was driven by Northern abolitionist propaganda that demonized the South, leading to "the worst war crimes in human history."

  • The book "War Crimes Against Southern Civilians" by Walter Brian Cisco was recently sent to the author, Paul Craig Roberts.

The players

Walter Brian Cisco

The author of the book "War Crimes Against Southern Civilians" that details atrocities committed by the Union Army against Southern civilians during the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President of the United States, whose Union Army is accused of committing horrific war crimes against Southern civilians during the Civil War, according to the book cited in the article.

General Benjamin Butler

A Union general who, according to the article, responded to Southern women complaining about the mistreatment of their male relatives by declaring the women "to be treated as a woman of the town plying her advocation," essentially inviting his troops to rape them.

General Robert E. Lee

The commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, who in 1863 addressed his troops and admonished them not to commit "barbarous outrages upon the unarmed and defenseless and the wanton destruction of private property" even in enemy territory.

General Philip Sheridan

A Union general who, according to the article, "wanted to massacre the surrendering" Confederate soldiers at the end of the war, and was only stopped by Union general Ulysses S. Grant.

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What they’re saying

“The commanding general considers that no greater disgrace could befall the army, and through it our whole people, then the perpetration of the barbarous outrages upon the unarmed and defenseless and the wanton destruction of private property that have marked the course of the enemy in our own country. It must be remembered that we make war only upon armed men, and that we cannot take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered without lowering ourselves in the eyes of all whose abhorrence has been excited by the atrocities of our enemies, and offending against God, to whom vengeance belongeth.”

— General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia

“Many of them have learned to hate the Yankees as much as our Southern brethren do. The army is becoming awfully depraved. How the home folks will ever be able to live with them after the war, is, I think, something of a question. If we don't degenerate into a nation of thieves, it will not be for lack of the example set by the Union army.”

— A Union soldier from Illinois

The takeaway

This article presents a highly controversial and revisionist take on the Civil War, arguing that the Union Army under Lincoln committed egregious war crimes against Southern civilians that have been covered up by biased historians. If true, it would fundamentally challenge the traditional narrative of the Civil War and raise serious questions about the morality and legacy of the Union's victory.