Modern History's First Humanitarian: The Horrors of the Battle of Solferino and the Triumph and Tragedy of Jean Henry Dunant
“No quarter is given; it is sheer butchery; a struggle between savage beasts maddened with blood and fury. Even the wounded fight to the last gasp. When they have no weapon left, they seize their enemies by the throat and tear them with their teeth…” The text quoted above is from a work of narrative military history published in 1862 entitled A Memory of Solferino . It was written by a Swiss banker, a gentleman and a devout Christian, who happened to be an unexpected witness to one the 19th century’s largest and most ferocious battles on mainland Europe. That man was Jean Henry Dunant who today is best remembered for winning the inaugural Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 and for being the founding inspiration behind the formation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Today, the Red Cross in conjunction with its partner organization, the Red Crescent, is the single largest and most influential humanitarian organization in the world and it all began ...