Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1865-03-22
w I. NHENMhN,
Major General U. s. 4
GENERAL sHERMAN's REPLY.


HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD, Feb. q.
1863 Major General ". r. Sherman, o.
3. Irm.y-General Your communication
Of the 24th inst. reached me to-day. In
II you state that it has been officially re-
ported that your foraging parties were
murdered after capture, and you 90 on
to say that you had "orlered similar
number Of prisoners in your hands 10 be
disposed OF in like manner" Tha. is tC
say, YOU have ordered a number of Conied-
crate soldiers to be Murdered"
You characterize yonr order in proper
terms. for your pubic'voice even IN your
own country, where il seldom dares to
express itself in vindication of truth, hon
or Or justice, will surely agree with you
in pronouncipg you guilty Of mu. der, il
your order is carried out.
Before dismissing this portion of your
letter, | beg 10 assure you for every so Il or
Of mine murdered by you shall have
eXeCu Ell at once two of yours, giving, in
all clsts, preference 10 any officers Sho
may be in my hands.
In reference to the statement you make
regarding the death of your foragefs,
have only to say that know nothing Of
it; that no orders given by me authorize
the killing OF prisoners after capture, and
that do not believe that my men killed
any OF your!, except under circumstances
in which it was perfectly legitimste aud
proper they should kill them.
IL is Il part of The system Of the thieves
whom you designate as your foragers, to
fire the dwellings Of those citizens whom
they have robbed
TO check this inhuman system, which
is justly eXecrated by every civilized na.
tion, have directed my men to shoot
down all of your men who are cauCh,
burning houses. This order shall remain
in force as long as you disgrace the pro-
fession OF arms by allowing your men to
destroy private dwellings.
You say that ! cannot, OF course, Qles-
ton your right to forage on the country.
at is right as old as history" | do not,
sir, question this right. Bat there is n
right older even than this, and one more
iualIenable right that every IMAM has
10 defend his home and protect those wbo
are dependent upon him; and from my
heart wish that every old man and boy
in my country who can FIRE gan, would
shoot down. as he would a wild beast, the
men who are desolating our land, burI-
ing their houses and Insulting their wo.
men.
You are particular in defining and
claiming war rights" May | ask If You
enumerale among them the right to fire
upon detensele5s city without notice, TO
burn that city to the ground after ii had
been surrendered by the authorities, who
claimed, though in vain. thai protection
which is always accorded in civilized war
fare TO non-combatants TO fire the DWELL
ing houses OF citizens after robbing them
and to perpetra'e even darker crimes than
these-crimes too black TO be mentioned
You have permitted, if you have not
ordered, the com mission of these oifenses
against humanity and the rules of war.
You fred into the city Of Columbia with
out word of warning. After lis surren-
der by the Mayor who demanded pro-
lection to private property, you laid the
whole city ir ashes leaving amid It's ruins
thousands Of old men and helpless women
and children, who are likely to perish of
starvation and exposure. YoGr line OF
march can be traced by the lurid light OF
burning houses, and in more than one
household there is an agony far more Bit
ter than that Of death.
The Indian scalped his victim regard
less Of sex or age, but with all his barbar-
ity he always respected the persons OF his
female captves. Your soldiers, more sag-
age than The Indian. insult ihose whose
natural protectors are absent.
In conclusion, have only to request
that whenever you have any Of my men