Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1864-09-28
Hood versus Sherman.

! Hood versus Sherman.
Sherman, who, says the Carolinian, like
his prototype and exemplar, Beast Butler
seems to be decidedly affected with the
4 cacoetaes scribends, wrote q letter in answer
| to General Hood indignant protest against
the Wholesale Punishment Of the non:com
Blatant population in Atlanta. In his reply
General Hood efectually disposes Of the
impudent falsehoods and shallow sophistries
by which this new Haynau undertakes tc
defend this crowning Yankee infamy:
| HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE,
| . - September II, 1864
lMaior- General ". r. Sherman, com.
7 msaasdsmg Military .Diviston of the Ms
| sisssppi. - a.
GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowl-
| edge the receipt Of your letter Of the 9th
instant, with its enclosures, in reference to
the women, children and others whom you
have thought proper to expel from their
homes in the city Atlanta. Had you
seen proper to let the matter rest there,
| 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 fsthe interest
of the United States," in your opinion;
compelled .yon to an act of barbarous cruel.
| ty, yop regretted the necessity, and we would
have dropped the subject. But you have
chosen to indulge in statements which /
feel compelled to notice, at least SO far as to
signify my dissent, and not allow silencejn
regard to them to be construed as acquies:
cence. I see nothing in your communica-
ton which induces me to modify the Ian
guage Of condemnation with which I,char-
acterizsd your order It but strengthens
me in the opinion, that it stands "pre.emi-
nent in the dark history of war, for studied
! and ingenius cruelty" Your original order
was stripped of all pretences; you announc-
ed the edict for the sole reason that it was
sEo the interest of the United States. -
This alone you offered to us and theciVilized
world as-an all sufficient reason for disfe-
garding 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 to say
that no act of his distinguished career gives
the least color to your unfounded aspersion
upon his conduct. He depopulated nc. viii
lagos, nor towns, nor cities, either friendly
or hostile. He offered and extended friend
Iy aid to his unfortunate fellow-citizens who
desired to flee from, your fraternal embraces.
You ara equally unfortunate in your attempt
to- find q justification for this act Of cruelty
either in the defence of Jonesboro by Gen.
Hardee, or of Atlanta, by myself. General
Hardee defended his position-in front of
Jonesboro at the expense of injury to the
houses, an ordinary, proper and justifable
aot of war. defended Atlanta at the same
risk and cost. ,
If there was any fault in either case, it
was your own, in not giving notice, espe.
pecially in the case of Atlanta, of yourpur-
pose to shell the town, which is usual in
war among civilized nations. No inhabi-
tsnt Of either town was expelled from his
home and freside by the order Of either
General Hardec or myself, and therefore,
your recent order can find no support from
the conduct of either of fus. I feltno other
emotion than pain, in reading that portion
of your letter which attempts to justify
your shellipg Atlanta without notice, under
the pretence that I defended Atlanta upon
a line 30 close to town.. that every cannon
shetland many musket balls from your line
of investment overshot their mark, and went
into the habitations of women and children.
7 made no complaint of your firing into At
lanta, in any way you thought proper. l
make none now, but there are an hundred
thousand living witnesses that you fired into
the habitations of women and children for
weeks, firing far above and miles beyond my
line of defence. I 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 fred 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
cussive. 1t opens wide field for the dis.
,cussion of questions which do'not feel are
committed to me. am only a general of
one of the armies of the Confederate States.
charged with military operations in the field,
under the direction of ny superior officers,
and I am not called upon: todiscgbAwith you
the causes Of the present war, orfhe politi-
cal questions which led to or resulted from
it. These grave and important questions
have been committed to far ADLER hands
than mine, and I shall only refer to them 80
far as to repel any unjust conclusion which
might bo drawn from my silencsA
You charge my country with "daring aud
badgering you to battle" The truth is, we
sent commissioners to you respectfully offer
ing peaceful separation before the first gun
was fired on either side. You say We in.
suited your flag. The truth is, we fired
upon it and those who fought under it when
you came to our doors upon the mission of
subjugation. You say we seized upon your
forts and arsenals, and made prisoners of the
garrisons sent to protect us against negroes
and Indians. The truth is, we expelled by
force of arms insolent intruders, and took