Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-10-07
GEN. SHERMAN TO THE MAYOR
.s AND COMMON COUNCIL AT
.. ATLANTA.
He Talks Like a Father to the Georgia

He Talks Like a Father to the Georgia
Rebels,
HEApouARrERs DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In TUE FIELp, ATLANTA, GA,
De- .......... September IL, 1854. \
James ". Calhoun, Mayor h. r. Ra,csoa and s. c.
Wells representing tie CITY CouncHQf atlanta
GENTLEMEN-I have your letter of the l1th,
in the nature Of a petition to revoke my or
ders removing all the inhabitants from Allan.
ia. | have read it carefully, and give full
credit to your statements Of the distress that
will be occasioncd by it, and yet shall not
revoke my order, simply because my orders
are not designed to meet the humanity of
the case, but to prepare for the future strug-
giles in which millions, yea hundreds of mill.
ions Of good people outside Of Atlanta, have
deep interest We must have Peace, not
only at Atlanta, but in all An,ericd To Sc
desolates our once happy and favored coun-
try. 10 stop war, we must defeat the rebel
armies that are arrayed against the laws and
Constitution, which all must respect and
obey. TO defeat these armies we must pre-
pare the way to reach them in their roccsses,
provided with the arms and instruments
which enable us TO accomplish our purpose.
Now know the vndictive nature Of our
enemy, and that we may have years of mill.
tary operations from this quarter, and there.
fore deem it wise and prudent to prepare in
time. The use Of Atlanta for warlke pur.
poses is not consistent with its character as
a home for families. There will be no man.
uiacturcs, commerce or agriculture here for
the maintenance Of families, and sooner or
later want will compel the inhabitants to 60.
Why not 20 now, when all the arrangements
are completed for the transfer instead oil
waiting till the plunging shot of contending
armies will renew the scenes Of the past
month? OF course, do not apprehend any
such thing at this moment, but you do not
suppose this army will be here till the war Is
over. cannot discuss this subject with you
! fairly, because cannot impart to you what
| propose to do, but assert that my militia
rY plans make it necessary .J6r the inhabitants
to 90 away, and can only renew my offer
of services to make their exodus in any di.
rection as easy and comfortable as possible
You cannot qualify war in harsher terms
than | will.
War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it
and those who brought war on our country
deserve all the curses and maledictions q
people can pour out. know had no hand
in making this war, and know ! will make
more sacrifices to day than any Of you to
secure peace. But you cannot have peace
and a di0isi0n Of our country. If the United
States submits to division now, it will not
stop, but will go on till we reap the fate Of
Mexico, Which is eternal acdr. The United
States does and must assert its authority
wherever il has power; If it relaXcs one bit
to preserve it, 10 is gone, and | know that
such is not the national feeling This feeling
assumes various shapes, but always comes
back to that of Union. Once admit the
Union, once more acknowledge the authority
| of the National Government, and instead o.
dcvoting your houses, and streets, and roads
to the dread uses of war, |, and this army nj
once become your protectors and supporters,
shielding yon from danger, let it como from
what quarter it may. know that a few in.
dviduals cannot resist a torrent of error and
passion such as has swept the South into re-
belion but you can point out so that VIC
may know those who desire a government
and those who insist on war and its desola
ton, You might as well appeal against the
thunder storm as against these terrible hard
ships of war. They are an inevitable, and
the only way the people Of Atlanta can hope
once .nore TO live in, peace and quiet at home
is, 10 stop this arar, which can alone be done
by admitting that it began in error and is
pcrpctuated in PRIDE. We don't want you,
negroes, or your horses, or your houses, OF
your land, or anything you have; but we do
want and will have a just obe9ien0o TO Nt
ia,cs Of the United States. That we will
have, and if it involves the destruction OF
your improvements ,se cannot help it, You
have heretofore read public sentiment in YOU:
newspapers that live by falsehood and ex-
citement, and the quicker you seek for truth
in other quarters, the better for YOU
repeat, then, that by tho original con,
pat Of gogernment, the United States had
certain rights in Gc0rgia phich haze ne0e,
beer reIinquished, and aerer sciU 6e; that the
South began war by seizing forts, arsonals
mints, custom houses, etc., ETC., long before
Lincoln WAS installed, and before the South
had one jot or title of provocation T. my.
self, have seen in Missouri, Kentucky, Ten
nessee and Mississippi, hundreds and thou.
sands of women and children fleeing from
your armies and despcradoes, hungry, aud
with bleeding feet. In Memphis, Vicksburg
and Mississippi, we fed thousands upon thou
| sands o.! the families Of rebel soldiers left on
our hands, and whom we could not see
starve. Now, that war comes home to you,
| you feel very drf!ercnt--you deprecate its
horrors, but did not feel them when you sent
car loads Of soldiers, and ammunition, and
moulded shells and shot to carry war into
Kentucky and Tennessee, and desoatc the
homes of hundreds and thousands of good
people, who only ask to live in peace at their
| old homes, md under the government OF
their Inheritance. But these comparisons
are idle. Iwant peace, and believe it can
only be reached through Union and war, and
| will ever conduct war purely with view
TO perfect and early succcs3. a| .' H'3h
| But, my dear sirs, when that peace does
come, you may call on me. for anything
Then will share with you the last cracker,
and watch with you to shield your homes
and families against danger from any quar-.
ter. Now, you must go, and take with you
the old and feeble; feed and nurse them,
and build for them in more quiet places
proper habitations to shield them against the
weather until the mad passions Of men cool
down and allow the Union and peace once
more TO settle on your old homes at Atlanta.
.' Yours In haste,
E .# a.sr W. 7. SHERMAN, Major General.
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MANIFESTO FROM LIE GRAND BY.
ENStTnN