Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-03-12
LETTER OF sHERMAN'S.
HE TOLD HIS VIEWS PLAINLY TO A
SOUTHERN WOMAN.
From the Boy She Had Known He Rose to
the Great General, and She Criticised
His Course.

mans have been published since his
death, which were expressive of the
more bitter and inexorable feelings
toward the people of the South which
seemed to accompany the actual war
fare, says the Boston Transcript. 1t
gives us pleasure, therefore, to print
one from the General, written, too, in
the very heat and final tragedy of the
great struggle, which breathes a some
what different sentiment. 1t reveals
the foundation principles upon which
Sherman was acting, and shows how,
like many another great General, he
brought his actions down to basis
OF religion, and founded military law
upon the divine law.
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF
THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD, NEAR
MARIETTA, Ga, June 80, 1854.
Mrs. Anna Gilman Bowen, Balti-
more, Md: Dear Madam-Your well
come letter of June Is came to me
here amid the sound of battle, and as
you say, little did / dream, when /
knew you playing as q little school
girl on Sullivans' Island beach, that
should control a vast army, pointing,
like the swarm of Alaric, toward the
plains of the South. Why, oh why is
this? If l know my own heart, it
beats as warmly as ever toward those
kind and generous families that greeted
us with such VAIN hospitality in days
long past, but still present in memory;
and today were Frank and Mrs.
Porcher, and Eliza Gilman, and Mary
Lamb, and Margaret Blake, the Barks-
dales, the Quashes, the Pryors, indeed,
and all of our cherished circle, their
children, or even their children's chill
dren, to come to me as of old, the
stern feelings of duty and conviction
would melt as snow before the genial
sun, and | believe | would strip my
own children that they might be shell
tered; and yet they call me barbarian,
vandal, and monster, and all the epi-
thets that language can invent that
are significant OF malignity and hate.
All pretend to say, on earth as in
heaven, man must submit to some ar
bitter. He must not throw off his allie
glance to his government or his God
without just reason and cause. The
South had no cause-not even a pre-
text. Indeed, by her unjustifiable
cause, she has thrown away her proud
history of the past, and laid open her
fair country to the tread of devasta-
ting war. She bantered and bullied
us to the conflict. Had we declined
battle America would have sunk back,
coward and craven, meriting the con-
tempt of all mankind. AS a nation
we were forced to accept battle, and
that once begun, it has assumed pro-
portions at which even we, in the hurly-
burly, sometimes stand aghast.
would not subjugate the South, in the
sense so Extensively assumed, but
would make every citizen in the land
obey the common law, submit to the
same we do-no worse, no better-our
equals and not our superiors. know
and you know, that there were young
men in our days, now no longer young,
but who control their fellows, who as
sumed to the gentlemen of the North
a superiority of courage and manhood
and boastingly deied us of Northern
birth to arms.
God knows how reluctantly we ac-
cepted the issue, but once the issue
joined, like in other ages, the Northern
race, though slow to anger, once
aroused, are more terrible than the
more inf1ammable South. Even yet
my heart bleeds when 1 see the carnage
of battle, the desolation of home, the
bitter anguish OF families; but the very
moment the men of the South say that
instead of appealing to arms they
should have have appealed to reason.
to Congress, to our courts, to religion,
and to the experience of history, then
l will say, Peace-Peace; 60 back to
your point of error, and resume your
places as American citizens, with all
their proud heritage. Whether 1 shall
live to see this period is sproblematical
but you may, and may tell your
mother and sisters that / never forget
one kind look or greeting, or eveI
wished to efface it's remembrance; but
in putting on the armor of war l die
it that our common country should
not perish in infamy and dishonor.
am married, have a wife and sil
children in Lancaster, Ohio. My courst
has been an eventful one, but hops
when the clouds of anger and passion
are dispersed, and truth emerge'
bright and clear, you and all who knew
me in early years will not blush tha'
we were once dear friends. Tell Elizs
| 1Or me tnaU nope sue may hNo L.
realize that the doctrine of secession
is as mostrous in our civil code as dis
obedience in the Divine law. Ant
should the fortunes of war ever brin
you or your sisters or any OF our oil
clique under the shelter of my author
ity 1 do not believe they will hav
cause to regret it.
Give my love to your children AM
the assurance of my respect to you
honored husband. Truly,
Signed w. Il. SHERMAN.