The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-08-08
Gen Sherman's speeoh-Making.

Ten Sherman's Speech Making.
4 Tecumseh Sherman has recently been
4 making speeches over the country, and has
received any number of ovations from the
"ioyal" gents who glory over his devasta-
tion Of our country. Mayors Of cities,
Professors of colleges, reverend clergymen,
&C., have united in testimonials Of respect
and admiration Of this ruthless warrior.
Notwithstand all the fattery heaped upon
him. Sherman seems to have some concep-
ton of the wrongs he has committed for in
one Of his speeches out West to some of his
soldiers, he says:
Now, my friends, know there are par
ties who denounce me as inhuman. / APP
peal to yorl if / have not always been kind
and considerable to you. (Cheers.) Icare
not what they say. Gully for you. and
cheers.) say that it ceased to be our d,,.
ty to guard their cities any longer, and had
gone on stringing cut my column, little
/ by little, some of your Illinois regiments
would not have come home, hut would
have been crushed. Therefore, determine
! ed to go through their country. and so /
took one army myself and gave my friend
George Thomas the other, and we whaled
away with both. cloud cheers.) There
| fore, we destroyed Atlanta, and if we had
destroyed all the cities of the South in or
der to bring about the result in view, it
would have been right. loud cheers
The course we pursued did produce the de
sired result"
The above is very contemplate srbter-
fuge. No one expected Gen. Sherman to
guard southern cities He was only asked
net to burn them down, and turn women
and children out of doors. The laws Of war
required him not to make war upon non.
combatants, but he paid no heed to them.
Gen. Sherman seems to lay down the as
founding principle, that a general has the
right to do anything to accomplish the re-
suit he aims at. This is simply the law of
the savage. &c. however, thought his
namesake, Tecumseh, when he fell upon the
defenceless settlers Of Michigan, and butch
cred women and children in cold blood, and
then burnt their villages The red Tecum-
sch thought this was necessary in order to
accomplish the result he had in view,
and the white Tecumseh thinks that the
burning of Columbia and the death Of the
poor women and children who persisted by
that confagration, were justified by "the
result he wished to accomplish. No man
not essentially inhuman could lay down
such barbarcus creed Of war.
In order to fix upon Shermaa's brow the
,o,,y <,fi ,,fno -, -
|sey's work on international Law" the
rules of civilized warfare. Prof. w is
President Of Yale College. and this work
has been recently issued, besides, the au-
thor is an Abolitionlst Of the strictest sect
We viii try Gen. Sherman BY his standard
On page 224, Section 1870, President Wool
sey sums up the following rules Of war
lst. Private persons remaining quiet and
taking no part in the conflict, use to DO ua-
molested
I'd. The property, movable and immov.
able, OF private persons in an invaded coun.
try, is to remain aninjured But if the
wants Of the hostile army require, it may
be taken at a fair value; but marauding
must be checked by discipline and penalties.
! Sd. Contributions or acquisitions are still
permissible. Vattel adds, that
General who would net snlly his reputa-
ton, is to moderate his acquisitions. an
ercess apon this point Is not acithout the re-
proach Of cruelty and inhumaaity.'
These rules completely upset Gen. Sher-
man. People who remain quiet are not to
be molested and their property, if taken,
must be paid for at q fair value" and
even excessive acquisitions Of this kind,
says Vattel, are " not without the reproach
Of cruelty and inhumanity." Now, il TAX
ing property at fair valuation may be
liable to the charge Of cruelty and inhu-
mainly, what name shall be given to the
wholesale plundering and burnings Of Gen
eral Sbernlan2 Our readers will Gee that
we have never been too severe upon Gen.
Sberman's conduct, indeed, IN view 6f the
rules Of civilized warfare as laid down by
tie best writer's upon that subject, neither
Sherman, Grant nor Sheridan have, as yet,
begun to receive the eastigation which his
tory wfI beatow upon them. Let the pas
|sions Of men cool, let the exciting events
Of these stormy days pass away, and let our
children SIT down in the hour ofdispassion.
ate criticism, and they cannot fail to look
upon Sberman's fiery raid, and Grant aud
Sheridan's savage devastation of the Shen-
andoah Valley as among the most barbar-
Gus acts ever committed by civilized men.
Unless the moral laws of the world are re-
yersed, their names will yet be as black as
the deeds they committed.-[N. Y. Day
Book.