The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-07
The Rebels LiBelIing Union Troops
aud Admitting the Vandalism OF
their own ..


The Rebels Labelling Union Troops
aud Admitting the Vandalism OF
their own
From the Richmond Examiner, JAY %.
For nearly eight weeks previous to the
LIST Of July all the country between the
Meadow bridge, on the northwest, and
the James river on the south, and for
distance Of ten miles from this city, bad
been occupied by the great armies of the
South and North. After the battle of
Richmond, in which the Yankees were
driven thirty miles away, our people had
an opportunity of surveying the ground
recently occupied by their forces; and
with good reason great has been the out
cry raised against them for the wanion
destruction of private property. They
have been Justly branded as Yandals and
robbers, who blighted the earth in their
path like the hOrdes Of Alaric--nO terms
of opprobrium but have been exhausted
in heaping abuse upon their nation and
themselves. As we have said, we believe
them Justly entitled TO the abuse they
have reaped. On all the land occupied
by them they have left nothing but por-
tions Of the dwellings, the forest trees
and the solid earth itself A fertile and
lovely country has been blasted by their
footsteps. The rules of civilized warfare
have been ignored, and neither the per-
sons nor the property Of private individ-
uals, many of whom were nOn-com-
batants, have been respected. By their
wantonness and brutality, they have
entitled themselves TO the eternal hatred
of the people of the South, and to lasting
infamy among all civilized nations. All
this is conceded and need not be enlarged
upon.
But what will the people Of the South
and the world think when we tell them
that whilst the Yankee invaders were
laying waste the land, destroying the
crops and butchering the stock Of our
farmers on the north Of the Chickahom-
my, our o10n t10rps, he men toho had rushed
TO defend from capture and spOlatioa de cap
ital Of he Coryederacy, 1oere engaged ia a
precisely similar business IN die country on
he south side Of that stream This would
seem incredible, but il is, nevertheless, a
sad and humiliating fact, the truth of
which is susceptible of ocular demon
stration: To-day a stranger travelling
over the devastated country lying be-
tween Richmond and Cold Harbor would
fail to distinguish where the lines lately
occupied by our army ceased and those
of the Yankees began. With the
exception Of the farm occupied as
headquarters by General Lee, and two
OF three other farms occupied by the
major generals under him, the whole
country has been ruined and literally
laid waste. We ,OiU paytjculqrize one an
stance wllere zoe might as easily cite 6Jly.-
Colonel Robert Morris owns farm on the
Machanicsyille turnpike four miles east
of this city. AZ the time of the fall
ing back of our army from the Peninsula
this place was well fenced and stocked,
and provided with all the machinery
usual on the farm of men of means. No
sooner was il occupied by our troops
than they, apparently unrestrained by
discipline or any orders from their Off
GERS, commenced the work of spoilation
and destruction, They burned up every
panel of his fence, even to his garden
pailings; smashed the machinery and ag-
ricutural implements; ransacked his
garden, pulling up and destroying every
growing thing, and wound up their ope-
rations by entering his cabins and steal
ing the negroes clothing. In consequence
of this wanton destruction of everything
perishable, the place was left as bare and
desolate as If it had been occupied by
the whole Yankee army, and indeed, IL IN
no respect differed from farms actually occa
pied by them on the opposite bankof the Chick
dhOminy. At the very time that his pro-
perty was being destroyed before his
eyes, Colonel Morris, who is well known
for his liberality and patriotism, would
gladly have contributed anything and
everything to have aided our cause or
given comfort to our amy. The same
may be said, with truth, of all the other
gentlemen whose farms, like his, have
been wantonly laid waste by our own
soldiers. Though culpable TO a certain
extent, the common soldier in the army is
not mainly responsible for their own van
dalism. Their officers are the parties re-
spnosible. They are clothed with almost
despotic power over their men, and are not
slow TO exercise il upon occasions touch
ing their personal vanity and ease and
with that power il is their duty to re-
strain the troops under their command
from acts of pillage and wontonness
which would have been, and were, dis
graceful in an enemy.
II is said that the Government will pay
for the destruction done by our troops
Admitting that it will pay for the crops
destroyed, houses torn to pieces and pro-
perty stolen, it not the less becomes the
officers of the army to use every effort to
keep the troops under their command re-
minded that they are not brigands and
outlaws, but an army Of patriotic citizens
called together to repel the invaders Of
their country