Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-07-20
Important Letter from Gen, Sherman.

Gen Sherman, the victorious commander
of our army in the West, has published an
excellent letter addressed to Gen. Burbridge.
| for the information of the people of Georgia,
Tennessee andiKentucky, living within the
| Department of the Cumberland, as express
ing the sentiments of the Department COM
mander.
| The letter was called forth by the recent
raid of Morgan and the concurrent acts OF
men styling themselves Confederate Parti-
sans or guerrillas. Their acts the General
denominates nothing but simple murder,
| horse-stealing, arson and other well defined
| crimes which do not sound as well under their
true names as more agreeable ones of war
like meaning, and their conduct, he says,
| calls for determined action.
He says he requested Gov. BRAMLErrE, OF
Kentucky, before starting on the present
Z campaign, to at once organize in each county
a small, trustworthy band, under the Sheriff.
| if possible, and at one dash arrest every man
| in the community who was dangerous to it;
aud also every fellow hanging about the
towns, villages and cross roads, who had no
! honest calling, the materials out of which
| guerrillas made up; but this sweeping
| exhibition of power doubtless seemed to the
| Governor rather arbitrary. He adds:
''The fact is, in our country personal IL
| berry has been so well secured that public
| safety is lost sight of in our laws and consti-
| tuition, and the fact Is, We are thrown back
one hundred years in civilization, law and
everything else; and will go right straight to
anarchy and the devil if somebody don't ar
rest our downward progress. We, the mill
| tary, must do it, and we have right and law
on our side. All governments and comlnu
mites have right to guard against real and
even supposed danger. The whole people OF
Kentucky must not be kept in a state of sus-
| pense, and real danger, lest few innocent
men should be wrongfully accused"
He accordingly gives the following instruc-
| tons
LIST. You may order all your Post and Dis
! trict Commanders that guerrillas are not sol
| diers, but wild beasts unknown to the usages
! of war. To be recognized as soldiers, they
must be enlisted, enrolled, differed, uniform
ed, armed and equipped by recognized bellig
| erent power, and must, if detached from a
main army, be of sufficient strength, with
| written orders from some army commander,
to do some military thing. OF course We
have recognized the Confederate Government
as a beIligerent power, but deny their right
to our lands, territories, rivers, coasts, and
Notwithstanding the right TO rebel and
! move to some other country where laws and
customs are more in accordance with their
own ideas and prejudices.
%, The civil power being insufficient to
protect life and property, " &c 1lecesSjtqte rel,
| to prevent anarchy (Which nature abhors,
the military steps in, and is rightful, consti-
| tutional and lawful. Under this law, every
| body car be made to "stay at home and mind
his and her own business" and if they won't
do that, can be sent away, where they cannot
| keep their honest neighbors in fear of danger,
| robbery, and insult.
Sd. Your military commanders, Provost
Marshalls and other agents, may arrest all
| males and females who have encouraged or
| harbored guerriilas and robbers, and you may
| cause them to be collected in Louisville, and
| when you have enough, say three or toul
| hundred, l will cause them to be sent down
the Mississippi, through their guerrilla gaunt
let, and by a sailing ship send them to a lane
| where they may take their negroes and make
a colony Nth laws and afuture of their own
If they won't live in peace in such a garden
| as Kentucky, why, we will kindly send them
| TO auoJner II not n netter land, and surely
! this would be kindness to them, and Gods
| blessing to Kentucky. | wish YOU to be care
fnl that no personalities are mixed up in this,
nor does full and generous love of country
" of the South" of their State or country,
| form cause Of Punishment, but the devilish
spirit which will not be satisfied, and that
makes war the pretext for murder, arson,
theft, in all its grades, perjury, and all the
crimes of human nature.
The General says the same instructions
are given to Post and District Commanders,
and the same penalties imposed upon all MUIR
dercrS, robbers, incendaries, and raiders,
their aiders and abettors, and any person up
on well founded accusation of having violat-
ed his oath of allegiance to the United States
will be brought to trial before Military
! Commission as a traitor.