The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-06-07

were usually we'll treated at least till
 they got into the hands of the prisor
 keepers. If the Union prisoner on cap | ture was stripped of his clothing and valuables, he rightly complained of it as an outrage;s so did the confederate
 if he fell into the hands of some rough cavalry sergeant. But all the outrages of Libby, Andersonville and other pris- ons were not a necessary part of war
 no more than We're. the British prison
 ships in the harbor' of New York dur ing the Revolutionary struggle. Admit,
 then, that for the most part the opefa-
 tions and battles of our country have
 not violated the laws of civilized war
 fare and have not necessarily involved
 cruel methods, cruel treatment of pris-
 oners or of non-combatants; is war ever necessarily lcruel-that is, is cruel
 ty inseparabIe from war?
 General Sherman said to me often:
 Howard, war is cruelty and you cannot too much refine it." He meant that war involved. suffering and losses that went
 with every march and were found in every battle; but he never meant to jus tify robbery, murder, rapine and such
 things as civilized warfare interdicts
 At times, however war, with all the re- straints a Havelock would put upon it. is intensely cruel.
 | As against spies. What helped Sheridan more than any other one thing was the carefulness with which he found out the numbers and the in- tentions of his opposing general. He hired men with his own money to go into the enemy's camp and bring back the information he needed. He kept himself well informed of what orders were issued against us and of all move ments on foot.
 General George H. Thomas was al- ways most careful to employ "good spies" The welfare of his own army depended on the informal ton he thus gained. Well, then, why try by court and hang An enmy's spy? The law of war still requires that. Under McClel- Ian lieutenant of our army went over to the confedrates and then became a spy for them. He was caught, closely confined and soon hanged Under Gen eral Harney in Mexico several soldiers deserted to the Mexicans and became spies and informants against their Harney captured them and had them hanged, It is said that he expressed his opinion of them in his own strong language while they were dying. After all their work, however diligent, and their terrible exposures, the spies are never treated like honor- able men. Almost universal distrust awaits their future. They are among the ostracized, It is a terrible cruelty.
 2. As aginst guerrlllas. Guerrillas proper are those who are carrying on war without the pale of an army, They wear no uniform; they plunder and ourn houses; they slay often the most harmless non- -combatants, as did Quan- .rell's band in Kansas in the civil war To stop their horrible work in Tennes- see General George H Thomas, who | vas the kindest and gentlest of com isued the severest orders which he could dictate The general l lad but one line of supply over the l Cumberland range of mountains; it was | y railroad with many tunnels and | bridges. The euerrillas would burn his | 'ridees and choke up his tunnels with [ ogs and rocks The organized forces | if the confederates he could manage '
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