The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1864-09-29
Sherman's Defence Of the Depopula-
ton of Atlanta.

The following is the reply Of General
Sherman to General Hoods charge Of
studied and ungenerous cruelty, which
was received in Washington to-day;
HEADo'Rs MILITARY Div. OF
THE Miss IN THE FIELD,
ATLANTA, Sept. 10.
Gen. las B. Hood Commanding Army
Of the Tennessee, Confederate ,ArmW
GENERAL: I have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt of your letter
of this date, at the hands of
Mcssrs. Ball & Crew, cousenting to the
arrangements I had proposed to facili
tate the removal South of tho people Of
Atlanta who prefer to go in that direc
tion. enclose. a copy of my orders,
which will, l am satisfied, accomplish
my purpose perfectly.
You style the measure proposed nm.
precedented, and appeal to the dark his
tory of war for a parallel as an act of
studied and unSeneOrous cruelty. 1t is
not unprecedented, for Gen. Johnston n
himself very wisely and properly remov-
ed the families all the way from Dalton
down, and l see no reason why Atlanta
should be excepted, Nor is it. necessa-
ry to appeal to the dark history of war
when recent and modern Examples are
so handy. You yourself burned dwell
lings along your parapot, and have
! seen to-day fifty housea that you have
rendered uninhabitable; because they
stood in the way of your forces anG
men. You depended on line 80 close
to the town that every cannon shot, an {
most Of the musket shots from
our line of investment that oversize
their mark went into the habitations o
: women and children. General Hardet
: did the same at Jonesboro, and Gen
Johnston did the same last sumner a
Jackson, Miss.
| have not accused you of heartIes
cruelty, but merely instance these case
ofvery recent occurrence, and bould g
= on and enumerate hundreds of Others
> and challenge any fair man to judg
which us has the heart of pity 70
the families of brave people. I say
is a kindness to these families Of Allan
: ia to remove th0m now at once from tn
scenes that women and chill dren shoul
not be exposed to, and the brave peopl
. should sCorn to commit their wives an
= children to the rude barbarians, VIII
thus, as you say, violate the laws of war
as illustrated in the pages of its darE
history. In the name of common sens
l ask you not to appeal to just God il
such sacrilegious way. You, who il
the midst of peace and prosperity hav,
plunged nation into cruel war, VIII
daree and badgered us to battle, insulte
our flag, seized cur arsenals and fort
that were left in the honorable custod
of a peaceful ordnance sergeant, seize
and made prisoners Of war the very gai
risons seutto protect your people agains
negroes and Indians, long before an
overt act was committed by the, to you
hateful Lincoln Government; tried t
force Kentucky and Missouri into tn
" rebellion in spite of themselves; falsif
. ed the vote Of louisiana; turned loos
u your privateers to plunder unarme
ships; expelled, Union families by tn
" thousands, burned their houses, an
" declared by act of your Congress tn
S confscation Of all debts due to Nortl
ern men for goods had and received
- Talk thus to the marines, but not
. me, who have seen these things, an
- who will this lay make as much socr
y riice for the peace and honor of Il
South as the best-born Southerne
&c among you. If we must be enemie
: let US be men, and fight it out as '
70 propose to-day, and not deal in SUI
hypocritical appeals to God and huma
lie ity. God will judge US in due tim
10 and he will pronounce whether it
4 more humane to fight with town f,
IN CfwOmen, and the families of bra
s. people at our back, or to remove the
n. in time to place of safety among the
s- own friends and people.
r. / am, very respectfully,
It. Your obedient servant,
n W. T. SHERMAN,
va Major-General Com mmanding.
he [Oficial COpy] IN. DAYTON,
nd Aid do-Camp,
-