The Portland daily press., 1881-06-10
Sherman
Sharply Rebukes Jeff Davis.

| IN the course oil which he met and refuteC
some of the ISLANDERS in JEFF Davis's book anf
praised Badeaus military biography of Gen
Grant. OF them he said:
These are now fair subjects of criticism and
comment and believe that the cause of truth
demands that every witness shall record hi,
honest opinions Of such important matters
did not have the privilege of sharing in the
operations OF the army of the Potomac, but
nave been over the ground, was personally ac
qualnted with nearly all your army corps and
division commanders and L say publicly and
emphatically, that, Davis to the contrary not.
withstanding, l approve of Gen. Grant,
movement from Washington to Richmond By
land instead of by water. War IS an awful
game, and demands death and destruction,
A certain amount OF fighting and Of killing
had to be done, and the banks OF
the Rapidan and Matapony were as
good places for it as those OF the James
and Appomattox, so far as L am capable OF
Judging. Gen. Badeau has told his story OF
the terrible battles from the Wilderness to AD-
pomattox Court House clearly and well. L
know that heartburnings are generated by al
Iuslons TO personal traits OF character, but 1 do
not see how otherwise Gen. Badeau could have
accounted for actual results. I surely rose
from the perusal of his volume with higher
estimate of tho great army of the Potomac
than had before, and am now better prepared
to unite with you in celebrating its persever-
nonof mat your children Will value more than
you do. AS for Mr.. Daviss
RISE ND FALL OF THE SOUTHERN coNFEDER-
AcY."
L confess have not seen the volume only the
copious extracts in the New York Herald of
June 3, 1881, and hardly know whether to treat
them seriously or jocosesly. 1t was not to be
expected that he would feel kindly to those
who awakened him so rudely from his dream
OF empire, but surely, in stating facts beyond
the reach of his vision or understanding, he
ought to have approximated the truth even as
to ms enemies. Assuming the quotations pub
iished In the Herald as authentic, wish to
say that it was lucky for Mr.. Davis that Cen
Johnston in May, 1864, did not obey his orders
and assume the offensive from Dalton to the
north side of the Tennessee river. One would
suppose that after the experience of both
johnston and Hood, whose courage and skill
no man disputes even Mr.. Davis would be
convinced that the aggressive campaign fore
shadowed in his several general propositions of
April 10, 1864, was the veriest nonsense John
ston did not have at Dalton 10000 men, and
Mr.. Davis ought to have known it, and John
ston on the spot was better qualified to Judge
than Mr.. Davis at Richmond. As to the re-
moyal OF the non-combatant population from
Atlanta, Mr. Davis saws that since Alva's afro
cious cruelties in the Netherlands in the 10th
century, there has been nothing in comparison
to it in cruelty He had right to publish such
words IN 1864, when extraordinary language
was needed to arouse the sinking energies of
his people (as he called them) but at this late
date It is simply absurd, Not a man, woman
or child was harmed in that removal. Mai.
Glare OF the Confederate army, appointed by
Gen. Hood, and Gen. Willard Warner of my
staff, now residing in Tecumseh, Cherokee
county, Ala, certified pointedly to me this
fact. The following is Maj. Clare's report in
full, and think Mr.. Davis will hear from
Gen. Warner in good time:
CONFEDERATE INsPEcToR-GENERAL'sl
OFFICE, A. T., Sept. %, 1864
Glare to Harvie: Col, e. I. Harvie, Inspec-
tor,General-Colonel, have the honor to
make the following report in reference to the
removal OF the families from Atlanta, under
Maj. Gen. Sherman's federal army order of ex-
ecutlon. Receiving verbal orders from Gen.
Hood on the evening OF the 11th to conduct
the truce agreed upon between himself and
Maj. Gen. Sherman, started as soon as possi-
BILE, reaching Rough and Ready at 7:30 on the
morning of the 18th September. Shortly after
reaching there l met the commanding officer
OF the federal guard, and, soon afterward, Col
Warner OF Gen. Sherman's staff the federal
truce officer. Having established with these
officers the preliminaries of the truce, the
manner in which it should be carried out, and
made arrangements in regard to the guards, /
waited the arrival of the trains from Atlanta
The inclosed reports of the names Of the fam-
lies arriving, the number and the date of their
arrival, will give all the information on these
points. Some delays and Irregularities in re-
gard to the arrival of trains having occurred
demanded of the federal officer in charge the
reason thereof and their correction. He in
formed mo that every means of transportation
were placed at the disposal of the citizens for
the purpose of removing their families and
effects.
ON SENDING FOR MAYOR CALHOUN
and the committee of citizens charged with re-
moving the people of Atlanta, ascertained
that this statement was correct. i then had
only to urge upon the people through the may
or to come during the early days of the truce,
to guard against the accident of having too
little transportation when the truce was about
to close. This advice they disregarded, and
the consequence was suffering and inconven-
ience, but think l can safely say that the peo-
pleunder my orders were moved as comfortably
and safely as possible. 1 arranged with the
federal authorities to supply the exiles with
i've days rations, and this, L am informed,
was done. The apportionment of transporta-
tion was made as you directed. Having been
informed that six teamsters belonging to Capt.
Clark's train had deserted, made a formal
demand for them of the federal flag of truce
officer. He assured me that they should be re-
turned if found, at the same time stating to me
that 13 of the federal guard and teamsters had
deserted to our lines. Too much praise cannot
be bestowed upon Col. Anderson, in command
OF the guard from our army on duty at Rough
and Ready, for the rigid discipline he at all
times maintained. l am, respectfully. your
obedient servant,
w. CLARE, Major and A. I.G.
Gen. Sherman here exhibited an original re-
port of Col. William G. LIE Due, United States
quartermaster, Goth corps, now commissioner
of agriculture, showing the number of persons
sent South. There were 1861 persons in all,
and their effects were transported by the
United States troops 20 miles, and not single
piece broken or molested.
Again, Mr.. Davis records that the officers
and men sent to escort and convey them to
Rough and Ready station ''robbed them of the
few articles of value they had been permitted
to take from their homes"
THIS Is SIMPLY UNTRUE,
and Mr. Davis ought to have known it to be so
for Maj. Glare of the Confederate army bore
public testimony to the kindness of the escorts,
and Gen. Warner, since Senator from Alaba-
ma, well known and universally respected
still living in Alabama, was then and is still
responsible and far better qualified to testify
to the facts than Mr.. Davis, who was 1000
miles away. am responsible for the order of
removal, and it was right; it was eminently
humane to remove a non-combatant popula-
ton from the theatre of war. 1t produced the
effect intended and hastened the conclusion
of the war, bloody war which Mr.. Davis, ac-
cordlng to his own account would never have
terminated, as long as he could have saved his
own life. AS to the burning OF Columbia, he
intimates that l have endeavored to escape
the responsibility ''for that act," and refers to
the excesses of Wallenstein's army in the
Thirty Years War. Mr.. Davis was not in CO.
lumbia during that fire, nor was Gen. Hamp-
ton. l was, and SO was Gen. o. o. Howard ;
so was Gen. John A. Logan and Gen. William
B. Wood, now justice of the supreme court
and his brother, Gen. Charles Wood, and A.
600 honest, good, true Union soldiers. Mr..
Davis ignored all these and adopts tho 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, or were burning when our troops en-
tered the city. The Hampton mansion, oecu-
pied by Gen. Logan was still standing and
the college, where Gen. Howard was quartered
was not burned.
THE FIRE ORIGINATED ON RICHARDSON STREET,
near whore 1 saw with my own eyes burning
cotton bales which had been set on fire by the
Confederate cavalry. was in supreme COM
mand inside of Columbia during the night of
the confagration, and L allow no man-not
even jeff Davis, to question my statement of q
feet as seen by myself, What remained of Co.
lumbia the next morning was wholly due to
Gen. Logan's troops Without them not n
house would have escaped. Had intended to
burn Columbia would have done it just as I
would have done any other act of war, and
there would have been no coacealment about
it. may have said and now repeat, that
should rebellion again occur in South Caroli-