The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-02-28
4 WAR LETTER FROM GEN.
SHERMAN.
His Idea of COlOnizing and COnfiS-
eating the Country South
of the Ohio.

OF the OnlOs
Cleveland, o., Feb. l5.-Ex-United
States Commissioner a. J. Williams,
a member of the Loyal Legion, to-day
gave out for publication u letter writ
ten by Gen. Sherman to his brother,
Senator JnO. Sherman, in 1862, while
the former was at Memphis. 1t is
interesting at this time, and Is as
follows:
"Memphis, Aug. 13, 1S62.-My Dear
Brother: [ have not WriLten to you for
so long that L suppose you Ln1nk L
naYe dropped the cor es .Iondence.
For SIX weeks | was II archIng along
the road fro n CorILth to Memphis,
mendIng roads, building Lridg-s and
doing All sort OF work. AT last L got
here and TO aud the city conLrIDuLIL g
gold, arms, powder, salt and every
thing the enemy wanted. 1t was u
smart trick on their part, thus to give
up Memphis, that the desire OF gam
to our Northern merchants should
supply them with things Needed III
war. L stopped this AT once and de-
clared gold, silver treasury notes and
salt as much cOntraband OF war ;s
powder. / have one man under seh-
Uence of death Tor smuggling arms
across the lines, and hope Mr.. Lin
coin Will approve it. But the mer-
cenary spirit of our people is too
much and my orders are reversed, but
[ am ordered to encourage the trade
in cotton and all orders prohibiting
gold, silver and notes, to be paid for
1T, are annulled by orders from WASH
ington. Grant promptly ratified my
order, and all military men here saw
at once that geld spent for cotton
went to the purchase OF arms and
ammunitions of war. But what are
the lives of our soldiers to the profits
of the merchants?
After a whole year of 'bung1lng
the country has at last discovered
that we want more men. All knew it
last fall as we'll as now, but it was not
popular. Now, 13, 100000 [the General
evidently intended only 1,3OO,OOO
men are required, when 100000 was
deemed absurd before. 1t will take
time to work up these recruits, and
they will reach us in October, when
we should be in Jackson, Meridian
and Vicksburg. Still must not
growl. L have purpOsely kept back
and have no right to criticise; save
that am glad the papers have at
last found out that we are at war, and
have a formidable enemy to combat.
OF course 1 approve the Contiscation
Act, and would be willing to reYolu-
tionize the Government so as to
amend that article of the Constitution
which forbids the forfeiture of land to
the heirs. My full belief is that we
must cOlOniZe the country de nOVO,
beginning with kentucky and Ten
nessee, and should remove 4,OO0,00O
OF our people at once south OF the
Ohio river, taking the farms and
plantations of the rebels. deplOre
the war as much as ever; but il the
thing has to be done, let the means
be adequate. Don't expect to Overrun
such q country or subdue such q
people in one, two, or five years. 1t
is the task of half a century. AL
though our army is thus far South, it
can not stir from our garrisOns. Our
men are killed or captured within
sight of our lines. have two divis-
ions here, mine and Hurlbut's, about
l3, 900 men; am building a strong fort
and think this is to be one OF the
dOpots and basis of operations for
further movements.
"The loss of Halleck is almost fatal.
We have no one to replace him. In
stead of having one head, we have
five or six, all independent Of each
other. IeXpect our enemies will mass
their troops and fall upon our detach-
m0QIS DSlOf0 he" Te-enlOTCeInSnlS
come. l cannot learn that there are
any large bodies OF men near us here.
There are detachments at Holly
Springs and SenatObis, the present
terminal of the railroad Of the South,
and all the people of the country are
armed as gueriflas. Curtis is at
Helena, eighty miles south, and
Grant at Corinth. Hragg's army from
fupelIo has moved to Chattanooga,
and proposes to march on Nashville,
Lexington and Cincinnati. They will
have about "a, 900 men. Buell. is near
Huntsville, with about 10000 men,
aud, I suppose detachments of the
new levies can be put in Kentucky
from Ohio and Indiana in time.
"The weather was very hot and
Bragg can't move his forces very
fast; but fear he will give trouble.
My own opinion is we ought not to
venture too much into the interior
until the river is safely in our possess
sion, when we could land at any point
and strike inland. This attempt TO
hold all the South would demand an
army too large even to think of. We
must cOlonize and settle as we go
South, for in Missouri there Is as
much strife as ever. Enemies must
be killed or transported to some other
country, Your affectiOnate brother,
"W, II. SHERMAN"