The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-06-18

chronicle Of the events which sienalized
the rebeliion, and his unspeakable
meanness In en~deayoring to cast the re-
sponsibility for the failure Of the CON
federacy upon the shoulders Of officers
who battled noblyf for the rebel cause so
long as there was the least hope Of sue
cess. -
Gsnersl Mcclellan cannot be held
culpable Tor the compliment which Mr..
Davis has chosen 10 pay him with the
view of dbcfedtting General Grants
plan of campaign in Virginia, but the
latter must feel gratined at General
Sherman,sfE y indousmsnt 10 the fol-
lowing words II approve of General
Grants movement from Washington TO
Richmond by land instead OF water.
War is IN awful game, and demands
death and destruction. A certain
amount on fighting and killing had to
be done, and the banks of the Rapidan
and Mattapony were as good places for
it as those Of the James and Appomat-
tox.n
The hero Of the March to the Sea-
disposes of Jeff Davis military propo-
sitions respecting operations before the
occupation Of Atlanta in 1884 as the
"veriest nonsence, and significantly
says: ut was lucky for Mr.. Davis that
General Johnston did not obey his or
ders and assume the offensive from
Dalton to the north OF the Tennessee
river" General Sherman, unlike the
envious and disappointed Davis, fbears
hearty testimony to the courage and
skill Of General johnston" General
Sherman's proclamation commanding
the nonrcombatant population of At
lanta to remove from that city is. dis
torted by Jefferson Davis into a fright
fully cruel act, and the commander OF
the federal troops 10 stigmatized as an
American Alva. This 1igment Of Davis
d~isordered brain is stamped out by the
most conclusive evidence from confeder-
ate officers, showing that not a imam,
woman, or child was harmed In the re-
moval.n Sixteed hundred and ffty-one
persons were transported by the United
Safes troops twenty miles, and not a
single piece Of their effects broken or
molested.
The burning of Columbia, General
Sherman fixes indelibly upon the con-
federate soldiery. He remarks that
Mr.. Davis adopts the solitary statement
of "Wade Hampton, who got away, and
was not there at all after his troops had
set FIRE to bridges, depot, and cotton in
the streets of his own city, all of which
were burned down or were burning
when our troops entered the city. The
Hampton mansion, occupied by General
Logan, was still standing, and the col
lege where General Howard was quar-
tered wal notburned. The fire originat-
ed on Richardson street near where 1
saw with my own eyes burning cotton
bales, which had been set on fire by the
confederate cavalry. I was In supreme
command inside Of Columbia the night
of the CONFEDERATION" continues the
General land I allow no man, not ever
JEFF Davis, to question my statement
of a fact as seen by myself This pos
tive evidence is corroborated by the
finding Of the mixed commission, on
American and British claims in the
cases for cotton belonging to British
subjects, and consumed in Columbia.
The testimony wa so overwhelming
that the Judgment was for the United
States. Several claims were brought
for property destroyed by the burning
of Columbia on the allegation that the
city was rantonly fred by the army Of
General Sherman. A large amount of
testimony vas taken upon this subject,
including that Of General Hampton
and other confederate officers on the
part of the claimants, and of generals
Sherman, Logan, Howard, Wood and
other federal officers on the part of the
United States.saT The claims were disal-
lowed, all the commissioners agreeing.
The commissioners were unanimous in
the conclusion that the conflagration
which destroyed Columbia was not TO
be ,ascribed to either the federal or con
federate officers. The general public
will agree with General Sherman that
sit is simply infamous Tor Mr. Davis to
offerthe naked Abatement Of q fact afte
such d judgment by a tribunal Of Justice
to which he hovyo1es ah allegiance,
however unwiningly.1
General sherman ~complstely turns
the laugh upon Jeff Davis for the
rldicuious comparison Of himself (Sher-
mani to A1ys aud Wallenstein, for the
lfkenessi is about i.as much a probable
ity as his (Dayis) own resemblance to
Julius Cesar" The general lays bare
to the public gaze she stony indifference
of Mr. Davis to the distress and suffer
ingthat would have been produced by
MI. Davis determination to prolong
the contest after Lees surrender, by
guerrilla warfare. General Sherman
trnthfully says, this would have been
az hnpardonable crime against human
ity.p Jef Davis book contains the
proof that he premeditated this crime,
which was frustrated by the superior
humanity Of agallantand distinguished
confederate officer. General Sherman
deserves strong commendation for his
triumphant reputation OF some of the
many faleehoodsi in Mr.. Davis work.