New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-08-18
GEN. suERmAN,s LETTER.

Gen. w. r. Sherman is an officer for whose
military ability we cherish very great respect,
and of whose unqualified devotion to the Union
we never entertained doubt. There are few
soldiers who have done better service in the
field than he or whose opinions on matters
touching The war are entitled TO be more care
fully considered. At the same time, be is well
known to be aeman capable of crotchets, and if
wrong-headed at all likely to be extremely 80.
His letter on Recruiting in the rebellious States
will serve as an instance. Its fundamental idea
is to crush the Rebellion in the most thorough
and expeditions manner; yet the letter can have
no other effect than TO throw obstacles in the
path he wishes TO tread.
We do not contrOyert his opinion a. to the
practicability Of recruiting in North Western
Georgia. He ought 10 know, and we presume
does know, better than any body else about
that But when ho extends his criticisms TO
cover the whole field, there arc Others who are
in a position to Judge more accurately than
Gen. Sherman. His main objections resolve
themselves into two: !, That the law binders
enlistments, and 2, That negroes are better
fitted for teamsters than for soldiers. II so
happens that on each Of these points General
Sherman is neither familiar with the facts nor
able to testify an expert to matters of opinion.
/. There is no evidence that the law has him
dered recruiting. No effort has been made to
operate under it, except by Massachusetts,, the
II. -. L. a.
thetic. Can Gen. Sherman say it has obStruct-
ed enlistments in Massachusetts, II is but a
few days since that State sent :, 600 men to the
war; who had been raised, armed equipped
and drilled in twenty-five days. These men
came forward in response neither to draft nor
call, but were rendered to the Government by
Gov. Andrews-all which was subsequently to
the passage of the law of which Gen. Sherman
complains, and was accomplished simultaneous
IL with the efforts to secure recruits in the re-
belliOus States. Nor were these 5000 men re-
quired TO fill any deficiency then existing, for it
is on record in the Bureau at Washington, that
before this last enlistment, on the first of june
1854, Massachusetts, had furnished 1000 soldiers
in excess of all calls to that date-and this with
out counting her sc, 600 or 10000 seamen and
marines. A State that has done that much for
the Union, can bear with equanmity the i'm
piled reprOachcs OF Gen. Sherman, and can treat
with contempt the lavish abuse Of Copperhead
journals.
III. Gen. Sherman does not read the newspa-
pers, or he would long ere this have learned
that Negroes do make good soldiers, and have
abundantly, herocally indicated their right to
stand by the side of their white comrades.
Milliken's Bend; Port Hudson, Wagner Olustee,
Petersburg, have settled the question whether
Negroes will fight. As those memorable actions
happened not to occur under Gen. Sherman's
eye, they seem not to have attracted his notice,
but the public knows the facts. Gen. Sherman,
if he knew them, We make no doubt, would
share in the general opinion of Negro courage
and military capacity. Testified to by such
officers as Gen. Seymour and Gen. W. f. Smith,
both West Pointers and both Pro-Slavery men,
the facts would pass muster even with the
Commander Of the Military Division Of the
Mississippi.
Again, Gen. Sherman forgcts that the negroes
find in their military service transitional stage
from Slavery to uncontrolled freedom of incsti-
mable value 10 them. The army has been