Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-24

A
was destroyed calculated to sustain even
women and children, who were thus left
: helpless, without shelter or food, and with
> only a smouldering heap Of ashes, and
crumbling chimneys standing as mute SEN
tinels, to mark the spot where all they pos
sessed on earth had been annihiIated.
30 remarkable was the coincidence ofthe
chicago IRE with the anniversary of this
areaoinl feature OF our late war, and such
tne impression It made on me, that so soon
~ heard OF the Boston confederation,
turned 10 the chronology of those trouble
some times 20 ascertain If this event were
Out 2 grim echo Of the horid past; and
sure enough, find that on the 10Th of No.
Vember Gen. Sherman issued his famous,
or rather infamous, order for the burning
OF the cities Of Rome and Atlanta, Georgia.
In dispatch to Gen. Thomas, at Nash
vile, dated Kingston, Georgia, November
II, 1864, the General says: "Last night we
burned Rome, and in two more days viii
| burn Atlanta"
But it was not to attempt any descrip-
ton or detail Of the horrors attendant unon
these and other acts of pure and unpro-
vCked barbarism, that / began this article.
| Tor God knows have no desire to freshen
/
had they not been persistently kept open by
the same malignant spirit that first prompt
ed some to perform and others to applaud
acts, which, however, the present genera
ton may excuse, will for all time 10 come
remain stigma upon the escutcheon of
American civilization. Victory thus dear
~ bought is scarcely preferable to defeat.
Up 70 the time of the Chicago fire, there
10 n ~ Al
who could or, perhaps, had ever tried to
appreciate the pitiable conditions of MANY
OF the suffering people of the South, A
sad wall had gone up from homeless women
or starving children, but it fell upon hearts
Of stone. We venture to assert, however.
that there are not a few persons In Boston
and Chicago, whose hearts have been soft
ened by fire, and who can now understand
something Of what it really YVES, that they
applauded in Gems. Sheridan and Sherman.
/ Only think Of III If it was terrible 70 face |
fire, when the energies of strong men |
from every quarter were brought into re- |
QUESTION to stay its progress and render |
every assistance, what must it have been. |
where there was no plying ear, snd no men |
70 help, but only an excited and maddened /
soldiery, huTying from house to house, |
torch in hand, rendering night hideous by |
Insulting every shrieking woman and child |
they meu The writer was little girl when |
she witnessed these scenes with her own |
eyes-when her childish heart stood still |
from terror, as she chung to her mother. her
only protector, amidst a throng of persons,
whose boast at one time was that they |
"warred only upon men,"
But Atlanta, Rome, Columbia and Rich
mond have been rebuilt; the physical scars
OF the war are fast being erased forever.
Many OF the chief actors on the Southern
SIDE now sleep in their graves, and have re-
turned to the same mother earth that shall
one day receive alike those who wore the
"biue" and those that donned the s:grey.n
Ihe survivors have long since returned to
peaceful avocations, aud are striving to build
up their waste places. These men deserve
ieniency, and need it to cheer them In their
good work. When the gallant Lee surren-
derec bis sword at Appomatox, the people
OF the South surrendered all for which they
fought, save their honor. They have kept
faith with their captors; they only ask to be
connded in by the government in propor-
ton to their fidelity. To ask less, were IN
manly; to expect more unreasonable.
No candid mind can deny that the South
has been treated with harshness and inius-
tlce since the surrender; and even racentlv
the North has rejected golden opportunity
for displaying its magnanimity. II has not
been many weeks since the South offered
In good faith TO forget all its past wrongs.
and accepted as its candidate for the Presi-
dency representative man from the North
on platform uneXceptionable TO the most
ultra Unionist; yet that man failed to AIRY
q single Northern State, because, forsoot6,
he was supported by .'Rebels." 1 nention
this from no political feeling, but simply as
an Illustration of the animus of Northern |
people. "God will not always strive with
man." and surely he viii not suffer these
simple prejudices to continue forever. Al
low me TO ask any Christian man or wo-
man, who may have the kindness to read |
This, if such q spirit is right, either
IN the sight Of God or man? Is il consis-
tent with that spirit of Christian charity
which should be the boast of our age and !
civilization? Selfish politicians will keep
Up this strife continually, as long as the
masses heedlessly allow themselves to be | ]
ed by the ears, like so many dumb brutes.
The time has come when public morals
should be squared more in accordance with
Gods pTecepts. Men should remember
What our Saviour calls the "frst great COM
nandment."
In this spirit let me, in conclusion, beg
ny countTywCmen Of Chicago aud Boston,
Tho can now form some faint idea of what
Ve OF the South have suffered, to forego
heir animosities and bitter hate, and in
lew OF their recent affections, cast their
no raj influence into the scale of generosity
Ind magnaDimity, and thus can they rear
lpon the ashes Of their fallen cities tenn
de dedicated TO PEACE. VIRGINIA. i