American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-09-28

instead of waiting till the plunging shot
of contending. armies will renew the
scenes of the past month? OF course |
do not apprehend any such thing at this
moment, but you do not suppose this ar
my will be here till the war is over. |
cannot discuss this subject with you fair
ly, because | cannot impart to you what
| propose to do, but assert my military
plans make it necessary for the inhabitants
to go away, and ! eau only renew my Of
fer of services TO make their exodus in
any direction as easy and comfortable as
possible. You cannot qualify war in
harsher terms than I sill.
Warts cruelty, and you cannot refine
it; and those who brought war on our
country deserve all the curses and maled~
iction people can pour out. ! know |
had no hand in making this war, and |
know | will make no more sacrifices to-
day than any OF you to secure peace
But you cannot have peace and division
of our country. lfthe United States sub
mits to division now, it will not stop,
but will go on tillwe reap the fate of Mex
lCO, WHICH II etcTHai VIII i Hc tHttSu
States does and must assert its authority
wherever it has power; if it relases one
bit to pressure it is gone. and | know thas
such is not the national feeling. This
feeling assumes various shapes, but always'
back to that OF Union Once admit thei
Union, once more acknowledge fheauthor-
ity Of the National Government, and in
stead of deyotiDg your houses and streets
and roads to the dread uses of war |,
and this army, become at once your pro,
tcctors aud supporters, shielding you from
danger, let it come from what gaarter it
may. know that few individuals can
not resist torrent of error and passion
such as has swept the South into rebel
hon; but you can point out so that we
may know those who desire a government
and those who insist on war and its desc
lation.
4ou mightas well appeal against the
thundr storm as against these terri
bic hardships of war. They are in
eyitable, and the only way the peo-
pie of Atlanta can hope once more to
live in peace and quiet at home is to
stop this war, which can alone be
done by admitting that it began in
error and is pcrpetuated in pride.
We don't want your negroes or your
horses, or your houses or your land,
or anything you have; but we do
want and will have just obedience
to the laws of the United States.
That we will have, and if it involves
the destruction Of your improvements
We cannot help it. You have hereto
fore read public sentiment in your
newspapers, that live by faIsehood
and excitement, and the quicker you
look for truth in other quarters the
better for you.
| repeat, then, that by the origin
al compact of Government, the Uni
ted States had certain rights in Ga,
which have never been relinquished,
and never will be that the South
began the war by scizing forts, ar
senals, mints custom houses, &C., &C.,
long before Mr.. Lincoln was install
ed, and before the south had one iot
or title of provocation. i, myself
have seen in Missouri, Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Mississippi, hundred
and thousands of women ard chill
dren fleeing from your armies and
dcsperadoes, hungry, and with bleed
ing feet. In Memphis, Vicksburg,
and Mississippi, we feed thousands up
on thousand Of the familier Of rebel
soldiers left on our hands and whom
we could not see staryc. Now, that
war comes home to you,you feel very
diffrent-you depreciate its horrors
but did not feel them when you sent
car loads of soldiers and ammunition,
and moulded shells and shot, into
Kentucky and Tennessee, and desc
lated the homes of hundreds and
thousands Of good people, who only
asked to live in peace at their old
homes, and under the government of
their inheritance. But these com
parisons are idle. | want peace, and
believe it can only be reached tho
Union and war, and / will ever con
duct war with view to perfect and
early success.
But, my dear sirs, when that
peace does come, you may call on nc
for anything. Then will | share
with you the last cracker, and watch
with You to shield your homes and
families against danger from every
quarter. Now you must 90 and take
with you the old and feeble, feed and
nurse them, and build for them in
more quiet places proper habitat'ons
to shield them against the weather,
until the mad passions of men cool
down, and allow the Union and peace
once more to settle on your old homes
at Atlanta.
Yours, in haste,
w. 7. SHERMAN, Maj. Gen.
-o~--D-~s