The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-03-07
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SENATOR VANCE'S SPEECH.

Messrs Editors II have Just read an account
of Senator Vance's speech before the Maryland
Line Association, representing the Army and Navy
of the Confederate States, delivered in Baltimore,
on Monday night, Feb. 23d. am an old soldier
and feel that the vile abuse and SANDER of our
General and my comrades in arms should not go
unanswered. He speaks of Sherman's famous, or
infamous march, as he is pleased to call it, but he
fails to state that it was part of military plan to
subdue a rebellion against of the best Govern
ments ever established He admits that hard
ships and crueltes are to be expected in war, and
then proceeds to abuse those who were engaged
in the warfare. He speaks Of the bad treatment
peaceable, defenceess inhabitants suffered. We
do not propose to apologize for the bad conduct of
any soldier. When large army is collected there
will be some bad men in its ranks, and for their
unsoldierly and unmanly conduct they are justly
censurable. But when Mr.. Vance says it was by
command or with the consent or approval of the
commanding General, he says what is positively
false. He charges General Sherman with organ
izing corps of thieves and plunderers. In doing
this he not only attacks the commanding General
falsely but also the character of every soldier in
the army. Calling the Union soldiers thieves
and plunderers is a most vile SANDER of some as
honorable men as ever lived, and if Mr.. Vance
has no higher sense of justice than to make such
unqualified statements, think the honorable
men of the Maryland Liue Association have need
to be ashamed of him and to feel insulted that he
would make such false charges in their presence.
Sherman in his march had no base of supplies.
He supported his army from the country through
which he marched. 1t was the enemy's country,
and as the enemy made the march necessity it
was right, according to the rules of warfare, that
it should be at the enemy's expense. The object
of the march was to subjugate the enemy and
capture or destroy the sinews of war in his pos
session. and the corps which he basey calls thieves
and plunderers were organized for the purpose of
procuring supplies for the army. Any wanton-
ness of straggiers or desperadoes who belonged to
the army was without the command, knowledge
or consent of the commanding General, for all his
orders were in harmony with the rules of civilized
warfare.
Mr. Vance charges all the destruction upon the
Union soldiers and fails to tell us that q large
portion was destroyed by Confederate troops and
citizens to prevent the property falling into the
hands of the Union army. He speaks of the suf-
ferings endured by the people, but he fails to state
and most uncalled for rebellions that ever cursed
the earth. Mr.. Vance disclaims intentional in
Justice to General Sherman, but he nevertheless
ISLANDERS the General and abuses every honorable
soldier in the ranks. The same spirit that dicta-
ted the terms of surrender to General Johnston
was the tenor of his conduct during the whole
march and he must not charge lawlessness or
wantonness to the commanding General, even if
perpetrated by bad men in his command, but
must remember that it is part of the inevitable
crueltes and hardships of war, and had not the
suffering States he mentions engaged in the rebel
lion it would never have occurred.
An OLD SOLDIER.