Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-09-29

h
Sherman respecting the removal of nom
combatants from Atlanta. The letter from
Gen. Sherman has already appeared in our
columns: ra ., u. '.y +
GENERAL HOOD TO GENERAL SHERMAN
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE
September IL, 1864. !
Major General W. T. Sherman, Commander
Military Dtvision Of The Mississippi
GENERAL:-I 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 seen proper to expel from their homes
in the city of Atlanta. Had you seen proper
to let the matter rest there l would gladly
have allowed your letter to close this cor
respondence, and, without your expressing
it in words, would have been willing to be-
lieve that while "the interests of the United
States" in your opinion, compelled you to
an act of barbar0uS cruelty, you regretted
the necessity, and we would have dropped
the subject. But you have chosen to in
dulge in statements which feel compelled
to notice, at least, so far as to signify my dis
sent and not allow silence in regard to them
to be construed as acquiescence. see moth
ing in your communication which induces
me to modify the language of condemna-
ton with which characterized your order.
1t but strengthens me in the opinion that it
stands ''pre-eminent in the dark history of
war for studied and ingenious cruelty."-
Your original order was stripped of all pre-
tence. You announced the edict for the
sole reason that it was Ito the interests of
the United States" This alone you offered
to us and the civilized world as an all-suffi-
cient reason for disregarding the laws of
God and man. You say that seen. john
ston himself very wisely and properly re-
moved the families all the way from Dalton
down." 1t is due to the gallant soldier and
gentleman to say that no act of his distin-
guished career gives the least color to your
untounded aspersion upon his conduct. He
depopulated no villages, nor towns, nor
cities, either friendly or hostile. He offered
andextended friendly aid to his unfortunate
fellow-citizens, who desired to flee from
your fraternal embrace. You are unfor-
tunate in your attempt to find justifica-
tion for this act of cruelty either in the de-
fense of JOnesboro by General Hardee, or
of Atlanta by myself. General Hardee de-
Tended his position in front of Jonesboro at
the expense Of injury to the houses-an or
dinary, proper and justifiable act 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, especially in
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 fire
side by either Gen. Hardee or myself, and
therefore your recent order can find no sup
port from the conduct of either of us. I
feel no other emotion than pain in reading
that portion of your letter which attempts
to justify your shelling of Atlanta without
notice, under the pretence that defended
Atlanta upon line so close to town that
every cannon shot, and many musket balls,
from the line Of your investment that over
shot their mark went into the habitations
of women and children. l made no COM
plant of your firing into Atlanta in any
way you thought proper. l make none
now; but there are hundred thousand
living witnesses that you fired into the hab-
itations of women and children for weeks,
firing far above and miles beyond my lines
Of defense. | have too good an opinion,
founded both upon observation and experi-
ence, of the skill of your artillerists, to
credit the assertion that they, tor several
weeks, unintentionally fired too high for
my modest tieldworks, and slaughtered wo-
men and children by accident and want of
skill. ...
The residue of your letter is rather dis
cursive. 1t opens wide field for the dis
L
are committed to me. / 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 cause of the present war, or
the political questions which led to or re-
suited from it. These grave and important
questions have been committed to far abler
hands than mine, and l shall only refer to
them so far as to repel any unjust conclusion
which might be drawn from my silence.
You charge my country with ''daring and
badgering you to BATTLE" The truth Is, we
sent commissioners to you, respectfully of
feringa peaceful separation, before the first
gun was fired on either side. You may say
we insulted your flag. The truth is, we
fired upon it and those who fought under it
when you came to our doors upon the mis-
sion 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 possession of our own
forts and arsenals to resist your claim to
dominion over masters, slaves and Indians,
all of whom are to this day, with unanimity
unexampled In the history of the world,
warning against your attempts to become
bficl luuSJcIo. LOU say Jildb we brlcQ TO
force Missouri and Kentucky into re-
bellion In spite of themselves. The truth is,
my Government, from the beginning of this
struggle to this hour, has again and again
offered, before the whole world, to leave it
to the unbiased will of those States, and
all others to determine for themselves
whether they will cast their destiny with |
your Government or ours; and your Gov
ernment has resisted this fundamental prin- |
eiple of free institutions with the bayonet,
and labors daily, by force and fraud to fast |
en- its hateful tyranny upon the unfortu-
nate freemen of those States. You say we |
falsi6ed the vote of Louisiana. The truth |
Is, Louisiana not only separated herself |
from your Government by nearly unani- |
nous vote of her people, buthas vindicated |
the act upon every battle field from Gettys- |
burg to the Sabine, and has exhibited he |
roic devotion TO her decision which chal- |
lenges the admiration and respect of every
man capable of feeling sympathy for the |
oppressed or admiration for heroic valor.
You say that we turned loose pirates to
plumber your unarmed ships. The truth is,
when you robbed us of ourpart of the navy,
we built and bought few vessels, hoisted |
the flag Of our country, and swept the seas |
in defiance of your navy around the whole |
circumference of the globe. 0lb g5sIs6 |
You say we have expelled Union families