Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-03-09

sequences. I merely assert our war.
right to forage, and my resolve to pro-
tect my forager, to the extent Of life
fer life.
I am, with respect,
Your obedient servant, -, ,
[signed] W. T. SHERMAN,
Maj. Gen. q. s. A.
Official: yno. M. Otey, A.,A. Gen.
HEAD QUARTERS In THE FIELD, |
Feb. 27, 1866. {
Major General ". r. Sherman, u:
s.; Army:
GENERAL: Your communication of
the 24th instant, reached me to-day. In
it you state that ithas been officially re-
ported that your foraging parties were
murdered" after capture, and you 60
on to say thatyou had ''ordered q simi-
lar number Of prisoners in our hands to
be disposed of in like manner That
is to say, you have ordered a number Of
Confederate soldiers to be murdered.
You characterize your order In proper
terms, for the public voice, even in your
own country, where it seldom .dares to
express itself in vindication of truth,
honor or justice, will surely agree with
you in pronouacing you guilty Of mur-
der, if your order is carried out.
Before dismissing this portion of your
letter, I beg to assure you that for eve
ry soldier Of mine ssmurdered" by YOU.
I shall have executed at once ,tWo OF
yours, giving, in all cases., preference
to any officers who may be In nmy hands.
In reference to the statement you
make regarding the death ofyour fora
gers, I have only to say that I know
nothing of it; tina. no orders given by
me authorize the killing of prisoners
after capture, and that do not believe
that any Of my men killed any Of yours
except under circumstances in which it
was perfectly legitimate and proper they
should kill them.
Tits apart of thesystem 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
nation, I have directed my men to shoot
down all of your men who are caught
burning houses. This order shall re-
main in force, as long as you disgrace
the profession of arms by allowing your
men to destroy private dwellings,.
You say that I cannot, of course,
question your right to forage on, the
country. ut is q right as old as his
tory" lido not, sir. question this right:
But there is right older even than this
and one more inalienable-the right
that every man has to- defend his home,
and to protect those who are dependent
upon him. And from my heart ], wish
that every old man and boy inmy coun-
try, who can fire q gup, would shoot
down, as he would a wild beast, the men
who are desolating their land, burning
their houses and insulting their women.
You are particular in defending and
claiming "war rights" May ] ask if
you enumerate among them the right
to fire upon defenceless city without
notice; to burn that city to the ground
after it had been surrendered by the
authorities, who claimed, though in vain
thatprotection which is always accorded
in civilized, warfare to on-combatants;
to fire the dwelling-houses of citizens,
after robbing them and to perpetrate
even darker crimes than these-crimes
too black to be mentioned?
| You have permitted, if you have not
ordered, the commission of these Often
ces against humanity and the rules of
war. You fred into the city of Colum-
bia without word of warning. After
its surrender by the Mayor, who de-
manded protection to private property,
you laid the whole city in ashes, leav-
ing amid its ruins thousands of old men
and helpless women and children, who
are likely to perish of starvation and
exposure. Your 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 bitter than
that of death.
The Indian scalped his victim regard
less"o sex or age, but with all his bar
barity, be always respected the persons
of his female captiyes. Your soldiers,
more savage than the Indian, insult
those whose natural protectors are ab-
sent.
In conclusion, I have only to request
| that whenever you hayeany ofmy men