Why is Sherman blamed for all the rapes, murders and destruction on his march, as if he was the only one destroying anything? Why do we never hear about the Conf. government telling the people of Georgia to destroy crops and anything the Union army could use on it's march. Why doesn't anyone ever talk about the crimes caused by Wade Hampton and Joe Wheeler? There are letters from southern women who said they feared Wheeler's cavalry more than Sherman's bummers. And how Wheeler's cavalry destroyed houses and crops, raped the women and took their personal property? It's easy to blame Sherman for everything. But there are two sides to this story. I wonder if we will ever really know the facts.
Why is Sherman blamed for all the rapes, murders and destruction on his march, as if he was the only one destroying anything?
Because when he allowed it to occur its a crime.You read it it more because the acounts of it happening are widespread,
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmysyn
Why do we never hear about the Conf. government telling the people of Georgia to destroy crops and anything the Union army could use on it's march.
Because destroying your own property is nota crime, do you not know what makes ana ction legal or ilegal?.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmysyn
Why doesn't anyone ever talk about the crimes caused by Wade Hampton and Joe Wheeler? There are letters from southern women who said they feared Wheeler's cavalry more than Sherman's bummers. And how Wheeler's cavalry destroyed houses and crops, raped the women and took their personal property? It's easy to blame Sherman for everything. But there are two sides to this story. I wonder if we will ever really know the facts.
jimmysyn
Cite such letters if you please.
DAILY CONSTITUTIONALIST [AUGUSTA, GA], March 5, 1864, p. 1, c. 1
Brutalities of Grierson’s Thieves.—Among the forces of Grierson, which lately received such a signal defeat in North Mississippi, were a large number of Dutch and other foreign mercenaries whose outrages upon the unarmed citizens and defenseless women of the region through which they passed, is said to be without a parallel in the history of the war.
Everything of value that they could lay their hands on was either stolen or destroyed; jewelry was ruthlessly torn from the persons of ladies, amid the jeers and taunts of the savage vagabonds, and family relics of no value to any one, but the owners, were destroyed with a fiendish delight.
As an evidence of their brutality, we are informed that a Mr. Jarman, a highly respectable and gallant gentleman residing in the neighborhood of Aberdeen, was captured and shot by them. After he was dead, the fiends severed his head from his body, quartered him and left his remains hanging by the roadside.
Their excuse for the hellish act was that Mr. Jarman and a few others had fired on them in their passage through the country, and was, therefore a bushwhacker.
But they received their reward when they met Forrest.—Selma Mississippian
MEMPHIS DAILY APPEAL, [MEMPHIS, TN], February 6, 1862, p. 3, c. 4
Outrages in Virginia.
From the correspondence of the Richmond Enquirer we take the following recital of the outrages perpetuated by the Federal troops on the upper Potomac:
Hampshire County, January 24, 1862.
In passing over the road from Romney to this place to-day, I was shocked to see the signs of the inhuman outrages perpetrated by the enemy under Col. Dunning, of Ohio, just before their evacuation of Romney. The appearance of the country betokens an inroad of savages rather than of men claiming to be civilized. Everywhere is to be seen the most wanton destruction. The greater part of the houses between Romney and Hanging Rock are in ruins. The little village of Frenchburg, six miles from Romney, has been entirely consumed. Nothing is to be seen in the place of the once picturesque and pleasant village but a smouldering mass. Not a single house of any description has escaped the incendiary, and all along the road one sees house after house, barn after barn in ashes. At every turn dead hogs, cattle and horses, which have been wantonly shot, are to be found. When I came to the farm of Col. Blue, a sad scene of desolation presented itself. His dwelling, barn, stables, everything is in ruins, and on every side might be seen piles of dead hogs, cattle, and even dogs, upon which these gallant warriors had wreaked their vengeance. I saw twelve hogs in one pile. They seemed to have aimed to destroy every living thing. But one thing was yet lacking to fill up the measure of the infamy of Col. Dunning and his brave comrades, and this they added.
Near Col. Blue's lived a helpless poor old man, a shoemaker, whose humble dwelling these self-styled apostles of civilization and justice rudely entered, and then shot him dead. After this they dragged his body a few feet from the door, and set fire to the premises, leaving his corpse to be roasted and partially consumed by the flames. His crime was that he had sold shoes to the southern troops!
These are but few of the outrages which marked the occupation of Romney by the northern troops. Long and fearful would be the catalogue which would chronicle them all. In every direction the people have been robbed; their grain, horses and slaves taken, and this from Unionists. The villainies perpetrated in this county within the last few months by wretches laying claim to humanity, nay, even civilization, are almost incredible.
My greatgrandfather was with Sherman on his march to the sea. He was in the 83d regiment, G company out of Indiana. I am looking for some pictures of maybe this regiment. He was wounded at Reseca GA.
Your ancestor was in Lightburn's Brigade, Morgan L. Smith's Division, of the XV Corps, Army of the Tenn. Was he wounded on May 14th or 15th? I could show you the location of his brigade's attack at Resaca if you are interested. Please email me if you are. Bob
"The Confederate forces dug in around the city and held out for months before finally having to evacuate. When this happened the Confederate commander Joseph E. Johnson was replaced by John Bell Hood"
Correction
Davis relieved Johnston of command of the Army of Tennessee on July 17, 1864. Atlanta was not evacuated untill Sept 1. DAVIS lost Atlanta (with a lot of help from Hood) and certainly not Joe Johnston.
If Davis had not made this monumental blunder sherman would still being trying to get into Atlanta!
First let me say I am no fan of Sherman. But the arguements about war crimes always seem to come down to " Your guy was worse than my my guy". War crimes are war crimes. If your guy comimtted 1000 and my guy commmitted 990, should I feel better because your guy committed more? It's the same old arguement. The victors write the history and the losers write the excuse. Just because someone wrote a letter to the newspaper doesn't mean that their story is 100% true? How can it be proved? Just because great grandpa said so doesn't make it so.
First let me say I am no fan of Sherman. But the arguements about war crimes always seem to come down to " Your guy was worse than my my guy". War crimes are war crimes. If your guy comimtted 1000 and my guy commmitted 990, should I feel better because your guy committed more? It's the same old arguement. The victors write the history and the losers write the excuse. Just because someone wrote a letter to the newspaper doesn't mean that their story is 100% true? How can it be proved? Just because great grandpa said so doesn't make it so.
Thank you for posting the evidence to support your claims, very helpfull.
A correction on war crimes, a crime is commited when actions are taken that contravene existing laws as to what actions are allowed, which is why books and the net are replete with Shermans and other Northern officers war crimes, and not replet with Southern war crimes.
Oh-
So there were no war crimes committed by any southerners. Interesting. And so it continues.
I know what crimes were committed by each side, the point is you dont, but are willing to post that which you cannot support, so the only thing that continues is your posting opinion based on nothing more than i want it to the case.
Of course there were crimes committed by both sides in the WBTS. No large scale army involved in a large scale war has ever been entirely innocent of crime. And yes by golly this includes the US armed forces in ALL the major wars they have been involved in even right up to and including Iraq. Given the very nature of war atrocities are probably inevitable.
The big difference between the Federal and Confederate sides in the war between the states was that the federals not only encouraged such crimes on a large scale but REWARDED them. (and when I say "federals" I mean all the way up to ole abe himself).
This is what we need to remember. Atrocities may be inevitable but governments and armies can at the very least try not to encourage them the way lincoln and sherman did.
Sherman's March
Linear Mode
