Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-10-05
HEADo'Rs. ARMY OF TENNESSEE,
Sept. 1911, 1864.

Aaj. Gen. ". T: Sherman, :.
C,m'dg. NIL. Dist. of the Mississippi.
GENERAL IL have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter Of the 9th
instant, with its enclosure in reference to
the women, children and others whom
You have thought proper to expel from
their homes in the city of Atlanta. Had
you seen proper to let the matter rest there,
I would gladly have allowed your letter to
close this correspondence, and without
your expressing it in words would have
been willing to believe that whilst, "the
interest of the United States" in your
opinion compelled You to an act OF barba
rous cruelty, you regretted the necessity,
and We would have dropped the subject.
But you have chosen to indulge in state
ments which feel compelled to notice, at
least so far as to signify my dissent, and
not allow silence in regard to them to be
construed as acqniescehee. l see nothing
in your communication which induces me
to modify the language Of condemnation
with which | characterized your order
1t but strengthens me in the opinion that
it stands pre-eminent in tue dark history
of war, for studied and ingenious cruelty.
Your original order was stripped OF all
pretenccs: you announced the edict for
the sole reason that it was "to the interest
of the United States.", This alone you
offered to us and the civilized world, as all
all sufficient reason for disregarding the
laws of God and man. You say that
General johnson himself very wisely and
properly removed the families all the way
from Dalton down." 1t is due to that
gallant soldier and gentleman 10 say that
no act of his distinguished career gives
the least color to your unfoanded aspor-
sions upon his conduct. lie depopulated
no villages, nor towns, nor cities, either
friendly or hostile. He offered and en-
tended friendly aid to his unfortunate fel-
low-citizens who desired to flee from your
fraternal embraces.
You are equally unfortunate IN your At
tempt to find justification for this act of
cruelty, either in the defence of Jones'
boro', by Gen. Hardee, or of Atlanta by
myself. Gen. Hardec defended his posi-
ton in trent of Jonesboro' at the expense
of injury to the houses, an ordinary, prop
er and justifable act OF war. defended
Atlanta at the same risk and cost. II
there was any fault in either case, it was
your own in not giving notice, especially
III the case of Atlanta, Of your purpose to
shell the town, which is usual in war
among civilized nations. No inhabitant
Of either town was expelled from his home
and Preside by the orders of either Gen.
Hardee OF myself, and therefore your re-
cent order can find no support from the
conduct of either of rs. felt no other
emotion than pain in reading that portion
of your letter, which attempts to Justify
your Smelling Atlanta without notice, nm
der the pretence that defended Atlanta
upon line so close to town that every
cannon shot and many musket balls from
your line of investment, that overshot
their mark, and went into the habitations
of'women and children. I made no COM
plant of your firing into Atlanta, in any
way You thought proper. make none now,
but there are all hundred thousand living
witnesses, that you fired into the habita-
tions of women and children for weeks,
firing above, many miles beyond my limo Of
defence. l have too good an opinion,
founded both upon observation and expe-
rience, of the skill of your artillerists, to
credit the insinuation that they for several
weeks unintentionally fired too high for
my modest field works, and slaughtered
women and children by accident and want
Of skill.
The residue of your letter is rather dis
cursive. 1t opens wide field for discus
sion Of questions, which 1 do not feel are
committed to mo. I am only general of
one of the armies of the Confederate
States, charged with military operations
in the field, under the direction of my
superior officers, and am not called upon
to discuss with you the causes of the
present war or the political questions
which led to, or resulted from it. These
grave and Important questions have been
committed to far ablor hands than mine
and shall only refer to them SO far as ia
repeel any unjust conclusion, which might
be drawn from my silencc. You charge
my country with " daring and badgerine
you to battle" The truth is, we sent COM
mlssloners to you respectfully offering &
peaceful separation before the first gnl
was fired on either side. You say w
insnlted your flag. The truth is VIC free
npon those who fought under it when yo,
came to our doors upon the mission O
subjugation. Yon say we seized upo,
yonr forts and arsenals, and made prison
ers OF the garrisons sent to protect u
against negroes and Indians. The trutl
is we expelled by force of arms insolen
intruders and took possession CT our owl
forts and arsenals to resist your claims t.
do'aln'on over masters, slaves, and Indians
all of whom are to this day with unanimit
unexalnpaed liz the history of the worl
warning against your attempts to becom
their masters. You say that we tried t
force Missouri and Kentucky into rebellio
in spite of themselves. The truth is. m
government trona the beginning OF tn
Str:pu!n to fhiS hour haa CONN .,nI o,: