Dilemmas of Peace and Justice: Notes on the Call for Reconciliation by General Pedro Alcantara Herran in the Civil War of 1859-1862

Using the political letter written by General Pedro Alcantara Herran to Bartolome Calvo as a reference, in the context of the Colombian civil war of 1859-1862, this article analyzes the relation between peace negotiations, justice, and regulating war. In the 19th century, the political initiatives to avoid, suspend, limit or end the war were as abundant and multiple as the uprisings and armed confrontations. In addition to presenting the anomalous specific case of Colombia, where, historically, calls for war coexist and intermingle with the goals of reconciliation, the article regains a historical document for the present day that synthesizes the language of peace, harmony, and reconciliation in one of the longest and most cruel civil wars of the 19th century.