The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1902-04-23
HISTORIC LETTERS
Which Passed Between Gen. Sher-
man and Gen. Hampton
JUST BEFORE THE WAR CLOSED,

Interest.

The following correspondence be-
tween Hampton and Sherman passed
into history years ago, but the letters
will be read with peculiar interest to-
day, when the people of South Caro-
lima and the entire South are mourn.
ing the death of one of their greatest
chieftainS and defenders. Union for
ayers had been shot for dastardly out
RACES upon defencelessw women, and the
incidents called forth Sherman'S letter
which was as follows:
Headquarters i'm the Field.
February 2i. 1850.
Lieut.. Gen. Wade Hampton. Com
manding Cavalry Forces. Confederate
States Army-Gcneral: Ii is Officially
rL2nrted to me that our foraging par
ties are murdered after capture and
labelled Death to all fOragcrS.n one
instance ola lieutenant and seven men
near rChesterville. and another of TWEEN
ty near a ravine eighty rods from the
main road about three miles from
Fcasterville. | have ordered a similar
number OF prisoners in our bands to bc
disposed of i'm like manner. | hold
about | 900 prisoners, captured i'm vari-
ouS ways, and can stand il rs long as
you, and would suggest that you give
notice To the people at large that every
life taken by them simply results in
the dea b Of one of your COntedcratcs.
OF course, you cannot question my
right 10 forage OF the country 1t
is Il war right as Old as history. The
manner of exercising il varies with cir
CumStanccS. and if the civil authori-
ties will supply my acquisitions |
will forbid al foraging. But | can
lind no civil authorities who can
respond TO my calls for forage
of provisions; therefore. must col
lect directly of the people.
much miSbehaviOr on the part of our
men: but | cannot permit an enemy TO
Judge or punish with wholesale muir
der. Personally | regret the bitter
feeling cngcndered 10y this war. but
they were to be expected. and Simp-
ly alleEe that those who struck the
first blow and made war inevitable
ought not in fairness to rcproach us
for the natural consequences. | merely
assert our war right TO forage and my
resolve TO protect my foragerS TO the
extent of life for life.
am, with respect. your obedient
servant. W. Il. Sherman.
Major General United states Army.
TO this Gen. Hampton replied:
Headquarters in the Field,
February 20. 1863.
Major Gen. w. II. Sherman, United
States ATmy-General: Your com
munication OF the 24th instant reached
me today. In il you state that it has
been officially reported hat your fOrag-
ing parties are murdered after cap
turc.' You 60 on TO say that YOU have
ordered similar number of prisoners
in our hands TO bc disposed of i'm like
manner. that is to say, Won have or
dcred number of confederate soldiers
TO bc murdered" You characterize
your order in proper terms. for the
public voice, even i'm your own COIN
try. where il seldom darcS TO express
itself in VindicatiOn of truth. honor,
or Justice, will surely agree with you
IN pronounclng YOU guilty OF murder
if your order is carried out. Before
diSmiSSing this portion of your letter
| beg to assure YOU that for every sol
dicr of mine "murdGrcd' 10y YOU |
shall have executed AT once two OF
yours. giving i'm all cases preference TO
any officers who may hc in my hands.
In reference TO the statement YOU
make regarding the death of your for
dENiN. 1 lltl NN 'lllN W NuN llldl l kliNN
nothing about il: that no orders given
by me authorizes the killing of prison
crS after capture, and that do not be-
lievc that my men killed any OF yours.
except under circumstances IN when
it was perfectly legitimate and proper
that they should Kill them. 1t is
part OF the system of the thieves.
whom YOU designate as your fOragcrS.
TO fire the dwellings Of those citizens
whom they have robbed. To check
this inhumau system. which is justly
eXccratCd by every civilized nation.
have directed my men to shoot down
all Ui your men who are caught burn
ing houses. This order shall remain
in force as long rs YOU disgrace the
profession of arms by allowing your
men 10 destroy private dwellings.
You say that | cannot. of course,
question your right to forage on the
country lit is Il right as old history
| do not, sir. question this right. But
there is Il right older even than this.
and one more inalicnablc- right
that every man has to defend his home
and TO protect those who are dcpcn-
dent upon him; and from my heart
wish that every old man and boy i'm
my country who can fire gun would
shoot down rs he would wild beast.
the men who are dcSolating their land.
burning rhOmcSand insulting their
women.
You are particular i'm defining and
claiming war rights" Nav | ask if
you cnumeratc among these the right
To fire upon a defcncclcSs city without
notice; TO burn that city to the ground
after it had been surrendered 10y the
| inhabitants, who claimed, though in
vain. that protection which is always
accorded in civilized warfare to non
cObatantS: to fire the dwelling houses
/ of citizens after rObbing them: and to
these crimes too black to be men
| toned.
| You have permitted. if you have not
ordered, the commission of these Oilcn-
ccS against humanity and the rules of
| war: YOU fired on the city of Columbia
/ without a word of warming: after its
surrender 10y The mayor, who demand
| ed protection to private property. YOU
| laid the whole city I'm ashes, leaving
amidst its ruins thousands of old men
and helpless women and children, who
are likely to perish of starvation and
| exposure. Your line of march can bC
. traced by the mrid light of burning
. houses, and in more than one house
hold there is now an agony worse than
that of death. The Indian Scalpcd
his victim regardless Of age or sex, but
with all his barbarity ne always re-
spcctcd the persons Of his female cap
tiVcS. Your soldiers. more savage
than the Indian insult those whose
natural protectors are absent.
In conclusion | have only to request
that whenever YOU have any Of my
men murdered or disposed of, ." foI