The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-04-11
SHERMAN UNDER FIRE.
The CaustIC 'D. P" Has Something 10 Say Of the
General Of the Army.
washington Capital

lNunullELOu Nhpllhl
We republsh in another column of to.day's Is
sue Characteristic letter from the pen Of Genera
Sherman, in reply to our statement of the Ton
Worthington case.
We feel sorry for the General. His response Il
the grave charge preferred of being responsible
for the surprise and massacre at Shiloh, and abus
of the one man whose heroic conduct on that oc
casion saved the remnant Of our army, is so veal
that we might leave it as 1t stands, without com
ment or criticism,
1t will be observed that he avoids the main ques
tion for number Of trivial side issues that indi
Gates that his strategy with The pen is about equal
to his abilities as soldier.
Before approaching the one question of interest
to the public let us dispose OF some of this fringe
work with which he seeks to cover his own short.
comings
He says that the scene described as occurring
upon the avenue, when he rode by with arms
folded, in his carriage, behind his housekeeping
bays, is pure fiction, for that his horses are not
bays-he might have added, nor high.stepping-
and that he did not drive along the avenue any
day that week. In COnfessing to the fact that he
has horses, bay or otherwise that he rides or can
ride along the avenue, while Co onel Tom Wor.
thington drags along on foot, poor ragged and
wretched does not seem to strike this epaueted
hero of surprise and disaster as the gist of our
story. The week, or the day of the week, any
one of the throng upon Pennsylvania avenue may
have observed tais scene is matter of small con.
sequence
OF like sort is his personal attack upon us as a
soldier upon the Union side in the late war. He
says he did not hear of us at Shiloh, Vicksburg
Chattanooga Atlanta or anywhere else where
there was fighting or danger. This is likely to be
true. We entered the army at the first call for
volunteers, knowing as little of the art of war
as General Sherman himself But we differed
from this great man In modestly striving to learn
under musket what he graduated into at the ex.
pense OF the Government without knowing or be.
ing able to learn. We were not a sutler 1mores |
the pity y nor wagon MASTER nora Prove ST Mar. |
shal; but we did act as Judge Advocate in the in.
Vesuganon, or rather persecution, set on foot by |
politicians, such as the late President johnson
and Senator Norton Of that gallant little soldier,
Don Carlos Buell. whose forced march CONTRARY
TO orders and unexpected appearance at the bat.
tle.held OF Shiloh saved Sherman and Grant from
q Court martial, and turned their shameful disas.
ter into brilliant victory.
All, General Sherman, there are more men
.rudglng along now on foot, poor and obscure than
lOm Worthtngton, TO whom the Republic owes 10
70 DAY It's existence, and repays them with neglect
y y rLlAo yOu Ilue uoWu avenues OF Iame ana wealth. |
u is true we did not win many laurels in the art
II killing, but we did our duty TO the best of our
)0or ability, and while our name goes down
mid the thousands whose graves may be marked
: unknown, we have the satisfaction of knowing
hat our hands are unStaiued with the blood ~
'oor fellows slaughtered through our neglect or
ASH folly, while our pillows at night are not
aunted with shadows Of the mourning house.
olds over the land.
All this, however, has nothing to do with what {
Of nj W. |
nd the General only aggravates his case by add.
lg insult TO injury in assaulting the poor old sol.
Ter by reference to that miserable business of the
ourt martial. When victim is to be sacrificed"
lys oleIne, SUCKS can be readily gathered from !
le nearest hedge with which to build the fire.
Olonel Tom Worthington may have been drunk,
ld ne certainly did use language unbecOming an
hcer ana gentleman-at least we suppose So
" he did his duty.
That otense known to the military world as con.
lct unDecomlng an officer and gentleman is so
dehn1te that 1t fits almost any case except that
west FOlnter 1t was an Ottense volunteers
ere continually guilty Of, but the gentlemen OF
e regular army do not and cannot commit it.
But we only suggest that drunk or sober the
'ionel OF the Forty sixth Ohio had his regiment
hand upon the key point of that disastrous field
ShllOn, and through his gallant fighting won o.
precious three hours that enabled other regi- d
enS 10 form ana come TO his support. General III
auregard bears testimony to this fact and saws
delay caused by this obstinate resistance pre-.
nted the total annihilation of our army, for 1t
abled our forces to hold the field until Buel and N
'lson could come to the rescue. c.
That this great military hero who lost more la
IN In killed between Chattanooga and Atlanta %
an Johnson (his enemy had in command, sane, "a =
ned the cutting Of his armyin halves and NOV. IL
his advance half into the enemy's country, be.
nd the support Of the other half; that he went
o camp at Shiloh as carelessly as il he were In
nmand Of mob in Central Ohio; that he took -
Steps to find ont how near the anamu IUaS and
precaution against an attack that he was sur
sed in his quarters, with some of his army m,
eeP and others getting their breakfast are dues -
ms OF far more Importance than the charge of
lnkenness or profanity on Colonel Tom Worth Of
ton. d
We have the name of the officer who galoped to do
neral SheTman's headquarters and told that
ltleman that the enemy was upon us in force.
have the evidence that this was pooh pOOhed th
When the roar OF battle became so loud and co
ltlnuous that he was forced to mount his horse nu
ride out and when he saw the long line an
ne cleaning on, dealing death and destruction ]
he unprotected camp, he expressed his surprise trc
throwing up his head and crying out, my Gu
ertainly as historian we propose practicinp ~
1esty. The fact is we claim as little as his. at
an as soldier, but we can tell General Sher I
q that the historical pen which puts to record q
h terrible disasters is as fixed as fate and cold
Impartial sstnat sloW'moYing finger of public
IN spoken OF by the poet.
'e are accustomed to couple generosity with
rage, and we believe that had Thomas Buell.
ecrans or Pope been in Shermans place at !
ION he would have patted Tom WOrthington 99tI
tne Dack and said here is the brave old soldier M do
lse coolness and courage saved our army at wv
Ion. But the man who deliberately, in q pub
assembly, denounced our people as a mob
1out the restraining influences Of the regular the
~ is not Of this sort. col
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