The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-10-15

ia to leave the city, as he required the ex-
elusive use Of the city for military purposes.
and proceeded at once to execute the order.
The following correspondence between the
city authorities and the General thereu pom
ensued, which We publish on accoun mt Of
tbs important bearing upon the great
questions involved in the present war
THE AUTHORITIES TO GENERAL SHERMAN.
ATLANTA, GA, Sept. II. 1864.
MAJOR GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN-SIR
The undersigned. Mayor and two members
of the Council for the city of Atlanta, for
the time being the only legal organ of the
people of said city to express their wants
and wishes, ask leave most earnestly but
respectfully to petition you to reconsider
the order requiring them TO leave Atlanta.
At fEt view, it struck US that the measure
would involve extraordinary hardship and
loss, but since we have seen the practical
execution of it, so far as it has progressed,
and the individual condition of many of the
people, and heard the statements as to the
inconvenience, loss and suffering attend
ing it, we are satisfied that the amount of it
will involve in the aggregate consequences
appalling and heart-rending.
Many poor women are In an advanced
state of pregnancy ; others having young
children, whose husbands, for the greater
part, are either in the army, prisoners, or
dead. Some say Il have such one sick
at my house who will wait on them when
am gone 90 Others say "What are we
to do we have no houses to go TO, and no
means to buy, build, or rent any no pa
rents, relatives or friends to 60 to-" An
other says: 81 will try to take this or that
article of property but such and such
things | must leave behind, though l need
them much" We reply to them: ''Gen.
Sherman will carry your property to Rough
and Ready, and then Gen. Hood will take
it thence on - and they will reply to that :
"But want to leave the railroad at such a
place, and cannot get conveyance from
thence on"
We only refer to few facts to illustrate,
in part, how this measure will operate IN
practice. AS you advanced, the people
north of Us fell back, and before your arri
val here large portion of the people here
had retired south so that he country south
of this is already crowded. and without suf-
fcient houses to accommodate the people,
and we are informed that many are now
stay ing in churches and other out build
ings. This being so, how is it possible for
children) to find shelter, and how can they
live through the winter in the woods no
shelter or subsistence in the midst of those
who know them not, and without the pow
er to assist them much if they were willing
to do so ?
This is but feeble picture of the conse
quences of this measure. You know the
woe, the horror, and the suffering cannot be
described by words. Imagination can on
ly conceive of it, and we ask you to take
these things into consideration. We know
your mind and time are continually occu-
pied with the duties of your command,
which almost deters US from asking your
attention to the matter, but thought it might
be that you had not considered the subject
in all of its awful consequences, and that,
on reflection, you, we hope, would not make
this people an exception to all mankind, for
we know of no such instance ever having
occurred-surely not in the United States.
And what has this helpless people done That
they should be driven from their homes, to
to subsist on charity f?
We do not know as yet the number of
people still here Of those who are here
a respectable number, if allowed to remain
at home, could subsist for several months
without assistance; and respectable num-
Der for a much longer time, and who might
not need assistance at any time.
In conclusion, we most earnestly and sol
EMMY petition you to reconsider this order,
or modify it, and suffer this unfortunate
people to remain at home aud enjoy what
little means they have.
Respectfully submitted.
JAMES NJ. CALHOUN, Mayor.
E. E. RAwsoN, S. @. WELLS, Councilmen.
GEN. sHERMAN's REPLY.
HDoRs. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GA, Sept. II. 1864.
James III. Calhoun, Mayor, E. e. Raa0son
and S. c. Wells, representing City Conn
eli Of atlanta
GENTLEMEN have your letter of the
18th in the nature of petition to revoke
my orders removing all the inhabitants
from Atlanta. have read it carefully, and
give full credit to your statements of the
distress that will be occasioned by it, and
yet shall not revoke nay order. simply be-
cause my orders are not designed to meet
the humauities of the case, but to prepare
for the future struggles in which millions,
yea hundreds of millions of good people
outside of Atlanta have deep interest
We must have Peace, not only at Atlanta,
but in all America. To secure this, we
must stop the war that now desolates our
once happy aud favored country. To stop
war we must defeat the rebel armies that
are arrayed against the laws and Constitu-
ton which all must respect and obey. To
defeat these armies we must prepare the
way to reach them in their recesses, pro-
vided with the arms and instruments which
enable Us to accomplish our purpose.
Nov know the Yinhictive natnra Of oslr