Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-09-22
Associated Press Report.
LETTER FROM SHERMAN.

UAohlNu4ONi w OPb' -
The following is the reply of Sherman
to Gen. Hoods charge of studied and un-
generous cruelty, and which was reeeivde
in Washington to-day;
HEADQUARTERS OF MIDDLE DIVISION !
oFTHE Miss, IN THE FIELD,
rs. ATLANTA, Sept. 10th, 1864. }
Gen. J. B. Hood, Commanding Agn,y Of
the Tennessee Confederate Ar0sy:;
General r0.1.--
/ have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of this date at the
hands of Messrs. Ball & Crew, consenting
to the arrangements had proposed to fa-
cilitate the removal South Of the people OF
Atlanta, VITO prefer TO gOin that direction.
l enclose you copy OF my orders which
will, am sstifed, accomplish my purpose
perfectly. T--a- u l--.1l
You style the measures proposed unpre-
cedented and appeal to the dark history Of
war for parallel as an act of studied and
ungenerous cruelty. 1t is not unprcedent-
ed, for General johnson himself, very
wisely and properly removed the fami-
lies all the way from Dalton
down, and l can see no reason
why Atlanta should be excepted. Nor is
it necessary to appeal to the dark history
of war when recent and modern examples
are so handy. You yourself burned dwell
ing houses along your parapet, and have
seen to-day fifty houses that you have rem
dered uninhabitable because they stood in
the way of your forts and men. You de-
Tended Atlanta on a line so close to the
town that every cannOn-shot and many
musket-shots from our line Of entrench-
ments, that overshot the mark, went into
the habitations of women and children
General Hardee did the same at Jones'
boro and General Johnston did the same
last summer at jackson, Mississippi. /
but merely instance tndse eases-Un very to
cent occurrence, and could go on. to emu
merate hundreds of Others and challenge
any fair man to judge which of US have
the heart of pity for the families OF
brave people. say it is kindness to
these families of Atlanta to remove them
now at once from scenes that
worp en- and children should not
be exposed to, and the brave people
sholld scorn 10 commit their wives and
children to the rude Carolinaians who thus
as YOU say, violate the laws sf war as illus
trated in the pages Of its dark history
In the name of common sense ask vol
not to appeal to a Just God in sucha sacre
lieious manner. You who in the midst o
peace and prosperity have plunged
nation into civil war, dark and civil war
who dared and badgered us to battle, In
suited our flag. seized our arsensls and fort
that were left in the honorable custody o
q peaceful Ordinance Sergeant, seized anC
made prisoners of war the very garrison
sent to protect your people against regroe
and Indians long before any over
act was committed, by thee 4
YOU, the hateful Lincoln Government
tried TO force Kentucky and Missouri int
the rebellion in spite of themselves; falsi
fed the vote of louisiana; turned loos
your privateers to plunder unarmed ships
expelled Union families by the thousand
burned their houses and declared by a
act of your Congress, the conflscation Of a
debts due Northern men for goods had an
received. Talk thus to the marines, but nj
to men who have seen those thing
and who will this day, make as much 81
crifice for the peace and honor Of th
South as the best born Southerner anon
YOU. If we must be enemies let US |
men, and fight it out as We propose to-da
and not deal in such ahypocritical appe
to God and humanity. God will judgeus
time. He will pronounce whether it
most humane to fight with town full
women and the families of a brave peop
at our back or remove them, in time,
places of safety among their own frien
and people. 4.
, 1 am, very respectfully, your Obd't- Sc
want. w. Z. SHERMAN. il
8 ~ Major General Commanding.