The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1865-03-07

| COulcQeTdtcS.
OF course you cannot question my right to for
age on the country 1t is war right as old as
history. The manner of exercising it varies with
circumstances and if the civil authorities will sup
ply acquisitions, [ will forbid all foragng. But ]
! find no civil authorities who can respond to calls
for forage provisions, and therefore must collect
directly of the people. have no 9oubt this is
the occasion of much misbehaviour on the part OF
our men, but cannot permit enemy to judge
or punish with wholesale murder.
| Personally regret the bitter feelings engender-
ed by this war; but they were to be expected, and
simply allege that those who struck the first blow,
and made war inevitable, ought not 10 fairness to
reproaeh US for the natural consequences. [ mere
y assert our right to forage, and my resolve te
protect nay foraser, to the extent of life for life.
am, with respect, your obedient servant,
/ Signed W. T. SHERMAN,
Maj. Gen. Il. S. A.
Official: Jno. NJ Otey, A. A. Genl. -
Gen. Hampton's Reply.
Headquarters in the Field,
. February 81, 1865. !
Moyj Gen. " T.. Sherman, y. S. Afny:
General: Your communication of the Gath inst.
reached me to-day. In it you state that it has
been officially reported that your foraging parties
were murdered" after capture, and you go on to
say, you bad ''ordered similar number of prison
ers in our hands to be disposed of in like manner
That is to say, you have ordered number Of Con.
federate soldiers to be murdered"
You characterize your order liz proper terms, for
the public voice, even in your own country, where
it seldom dares to express itself in vindcation Of
truth, honor justice will surely agree with you
in pronouncing you guilty of murder if your order
is carried out.
Before dismissing this portion of your letter, l
beg to assure you that for every soldier of mine
"murdered' by you, shall have executed at once
teco of yours giving, in all cases, preference to any
officers who may be in my hands.
In reference to the statement you make regard
ing the death of your toragers, 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 killed any
Of yours except under circumstances in which it
was perfectly Legitimate and proper they should
kill them.
It's part of the system of the thieves whom
you designate your foragers to fire the dwellings
of those citizens they have robbed
To check this inhuman system, which is justly
execrated by every civilized patton, have direc-
ted my men to shoot down all of your men Who are
In force, as long you disgrace the profession of
arms by allowing your men to destroy private
fdwellings
You say that cannot, of course, question your
right to forage on the country. sIt is right as
old as history" l do not, sir, question this right.
But there is right older even than this, and one
more inalienablc-the right that every man has to
defend his home, and to protect those who are de-
pendent upon him. And from my heart wish
that every old man and boy in my, country, who
can tire gun, would shoot down, as he would
wild beast, the men who desolating their land,
burning their houses, and insulting their women
/ I GU are particular in defining and claiming
"war rights" May ask if you enumerate among
them the right to fire upon defepceless city with
out notice. to burn that city to the ground after it
had been surrendered by the authorities, who
claimed, though in vain, that protection which is
always accorded in civilized warfare to noH comba-
tants; to fire the dwelling houses of citizens after
robong 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 offences against humanity
and the rules Of war You fred into the CITY of
Columbia without word of warning After its
surrender by the Mayor, who demanded protection
to private property, you laid the hole city ashes
leaving 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 household there is an
agony far more bitter than that of death
The lndian scalped his victim regardless of sex
or age, but with all his barbarny, hea always re-
spected the persons of his female captives. Your
Noldiers more savage than the Indian insult those
whose natural protectors are absent
ln conclusion, have only to request that when
ever you have any Of my men "disposed Of" or
murdered" for the terms appear to be synony-
NOUS with you, you wi.let me hear of it, in order
that may know what action to take in the mat
ter. ln the meantime | shall hold ffty-six Of your
men as hostages of those whom you have ordered
to be executed I am yours, &C.,
FSigned] WADE HAMPTON,
Lieut. General.
Official: -Jno. NJ. Otey, A. A. Genl
NEGRO SERvIcE.--In the Senate Mr. Wigfall,