Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-04-27
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WASHINGTON, April 25.-The London
7Smes of April 9Th publishes a letter
from their special correspondent at Rich
mond, under date of March 9TH, which
is attracting earnest attention here in
Government circles, as Of great signif-
canoe in foreshadowing at that early day
the recent policy of Gen Sherman. AT
ter commenting at length upon the char
acter and achievements of Gen. Sher-
man, which are admitted to have brought
the Confederacy to the verge of ruin, he
says: The long arrest of Grant before
Richmond will hardly be compensated
by his capture Of that city if Lee should
eventu-Ily 30 fo-cP'l N evacuate it, for
it will be attributed more TO the strategy
of Sherman than to the coercion Of
Grant Sherman within few weeks of
this time may be possibly autocrat Of
this continent, but no combination OF
circumstances can in my judgment place
the crown upon the head of Grant 1t
will therefore be, as l said, profitable to
study the character of Sherman IS our
best guide to the possible shape of the
future.
He then proceeds to recite the particu-
lars of Sherman's history down to the
time of the near outbreak of the rebel
lion, at which time Sherman was Presi-
dent of the Louisiana State Military
Academy. In January, 1861, when the
war between the two sections was mani
testify coming, Sherman resigned his of.
fee in Louisiana, and approached Gen.
Bragg with view of taking leave of
him. he said 10 Cen Bragg: al see
plainly that war is at hand. Educated
as a soldier, cannot remain in the
South without taking up arms, and ] do
not see my way TO fighting against my
own kinsmen from Ohio; but, come
what may, no human consideration-no
human consideration (Gen. Bragg told
me that Gen. Sherman repeated these
words twice. will ever induce me tostake
up arms against the South. The South
has, know, many grievances to COM
plain OF, and l shall go to Ohio with q
view to instructing my countrymen
about them" He then speaks Of the
establishment with which Gen. Bragg
heard of Sherman as a BrigadieT Gener-
al at the first battle of Bull Run, but
says that he was not disposed to ques-
ton Sherman's sincerity at the time be
made the declaration.
He then reviews Sherman's course
since that battle, and he speaks in severe
terms of the excuses Of Sherman's
army in Georgia and South Carolina,
which he thinks Sherman made little eff
fort TO restrain.
The following is the most important
part of the letter, and the one which
foreshadows Sherman's course in the re-
cent negotiations: "But reverting once
more to Sherman, / may remark that bis
long residence in the South has taught
him to disclaim any intention of carry
ing on war in behalf Of the poor, degra-
ded slave, out of whom Mrs Stowe has
manufactured a melo-dramatic farce of
which the incidents of this war are max
ing her countrymen ashamed Possibly,
in common with every other intelligent
gentleman, Sherman may think that the
abolition of slavery would be great
boon to the South, but he does not seem
to think that it would be a boon to the
slave. At any rate, Sherman has shown
great Discrimination to admitting negro
soldiers to bis ranks Whatever allega-
tons may be made to the contrary by
the journals to which be gives little heed,
| am informed that he forbid, recently,
any junction between his own and Fos-
ter commands, on the South Carolina
coast, which consists principally of ne
groes If in the Armagedden which
seems now approaching, Gen Sherman
once gets the South down, it may be con-
fdently predicted that his politics will be
more in harmony with those of General
Lee than those of President Lincoln.
Mr. Lincoln has found him hitherto
very valuable friend. It is possible that
before the end comes he viii find him
still more dangerous enemy. During
this war / have seen no man who seems
to me to possess so much of the temper
of Cromwell, as Sherman did. Vain,
enthusiastic and fanatical at times,
gloomy and reticent at others, impulsive
aud tslkative, by some regarded as half
mad when the st is on him, Gen. Sher-
man possesses character which, unless
am mistaken, is Of the stuff Of which the
great and mysterious actors in history