Summary/Abstract: The unexpected conflict between the recent First Balkan War allies – Serbia and Bulgaria -- came to a conclusion during the bloody Battle of Bregalnica. The large numbers of dead soldiers and prisoners testify to how serious that conflict was. In the middle of the battle, 1,200 Bulgarian prisoners were taken to Belgrade. That event strongly influenced all who were present and watched that strange procession. The Second Balkan War ended with the signing of the peace agreement in Bucharest, followed by the exchange of prisoners between Serbia and Bulgaria. Healthy prisoners were exchanged in September 1913 near Pirot and wounded and sick in October. A problem occurred when the Bulgarian side refused to hand over the rest of the Serbian soldiers before the Macedonian volunteers (who fought for the Bulgarian Army during the Second Balkan War) were handed over to them. Ultimately, the Serbian Government decided to hand over the Macedonian volunteers because they were not citizens of the Kingdom of Serbia at the beginning of the Second Balkan War. Support for their Macedonian commitments was an expression of Bulgarian discontent with the peace agreement’s regulations and an indication of their readiness to continue fighting in order to fulfill their aims in Macedonia.
