The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-04-23
HISTORIC LETTERS
Which Passed Between Gen. sher-
man and Gen. Hampton
57TsT BEFORE THE WAR CLOSED.
rro. x,f General Hampton Correc'-
n s.oices the Spirit OF Its
s,n,r.Ar and Is Now OF
SntereSt.
S9tereSt.

The following correspondence oc-
tween Hampton anS Sherman pas"eu
into history wears ago. bat The letters
will be read with peciS,4a: in1af:est TO-
dav. when the people OF SGnth Aato-
lima and the entire South are n1Vslf'i'
ing the death of one OF their greatest
chieftains and defenders. Union .or'
ayers had been shot for dastaEdl2 oHU-
; RACES upon defencelessw women, anu 1ile
incidents called forth Siaerman's Letter
which was as follows:
Headquarters in the Field
February 2. 1859.
Lieut.. Gen. Wade HaH1ptoE, Com
handing Cavalry Forces. ConfeaeraIe
States Arny-General: 1t IS ofhfially
! rnporfed 20 me that our foragln6 par,
ries are murdered after capture ana
| labelled death to all fOragers." :ofae
instance of a lieutenant and seven me1s
earChesteryille, and another OF TWEEN
tv :near Il rayine eighty rods from inc
main road" about three miles from
baskerville. | have ordered a similar
-, number of prisoners in our hands 10 '0e
s};sposcd of in like manner. L hola
[ about 1,O)0 prisoners. captured IN VAIL
4 oys ways, and can stand it as long as
vel. and would suggest that you give
non ice to the people at large tnat every
life taken by them simply Iesu,Sz, III
tAecSeatiE of one of your ConEeueSa 'Ss.
|! OF ,esslrse. you cannot question: ~
right 20 forage on the country. nv
/ is a Wa right as old as hlstory. me
manner.of exercising it wares WlIn clf-
! cumsGanoes. and if the clSia auUhorl-
ties will supply my. requsltloIs .o 1
viii forbid ali foraging. But can
! find no civil authorities VINO can
respond to my calls for forage
/ of provisions therefore, l must COL
! lect directly of the people: i !
/ have no doubt 2Enis is the occasion OF
! much misbehIHiee on the part OF our
men: but cannot germ1t an enemy u
/ mdue or punish with wholesale muir
der Personally / Eagret the bltter
feeling engendered :bg this war, puI
; they we're to be expected, and slmp-
/ II allege that those wkO struck Gl1e
first blow and made war inevltable
! ourht not in fairness to TeprGacn u
for literature consequences. L merely
/ assert our war right to forage ana my
! resolve 10 protect my foragsrs TO the
extent OF life for life.
| ] am. with respect. your 'ooedleht
| servant W. T, Sherman.
| Major General United States Amy.
To this Gen Hampton repheG
February 26, 1865.
Iaio, Gen. ". T. Sherman, Cnlteo
! States Army-Genera!: YOUR coIn,,
nanicay ion OF the 2Ath instant reached
! me today. In it You state thaU II llas
been officially reported that your 1oras'
| ing parties are murdered after cap
ture." You 60 on to say that you nave
ordered a similar number OF prisoners
| in our hands to be disposed OF IN IKE
manner" that is to say. YOU nave or,
! dered a number of Confederate soldlcrs
to be murdered" You characterlze
YOUR order in proper 1e1nos. tor ths
public voice, even in your own @olln
try. where it seldom dues TO e&s2reS'
itself in yindication of truth, tteg1or
! or Justice, will surely agree WIFE :Sol
in in pronouncing YOU guilty Of nurse'
If your order is carried ont. i3etSt
G;sinissing this portion of your ietUe
7 bep to assure YOU that for every sol
Sier of mine murdered" by you
stzll have executed at once Two ~ ~
YOURS. giving in all cases prete iEence "
any officers who NAY be III my llallos.
In reference to the statement IoE
| make regarding the death OF your toI'
ayers. ! have only &c say thai kno"
nothirg about it; that no orders glTeI
by me authorizes the killing OF prison
ers after capture, and that / do not be-
! lieye -st nv men killed any OF yo%TS.
exec: under circumstances IN WHICH
it was perfectly legitimate and proper
that they should kill them. 1t IS d
mart of tine system OF the thieves,
whom yov designate as your fora9erS
to fire The dwellings of those citizens
whom thev have robbed. To check
this inhunan system. which is justly
eyecrated by every civilized nation,
have directed my men TO shoot down
all of your men who are caught ourn-
inn houses. This order sf4aG Eemdu
| in force IS long as you disgrace thc
profession OF arms by allowing :;EG5tT
men to destroy private dwellings.
You say that l cannot, OF cyurse,
Question YOUR right to forage Oh the
; Co,rntrv-.'it is a right as old history"
do not. sir. question this right. But
there is right older even than this,
! and one more lnalienable-the right
| that every man has to deteno his nome
/ and to protect those who are depen--
dent upon him: and from my heart l
Swish that every old man and boy IN
my country who can tlrc gun Wou!o
shoot down as he would a wild beast,
/ the men who are desOlatng their Iano
4 burning theirhomes and insulting tneli
h women.
\ You are particular in defining and
claiming war rights" May ask II
( Won enunerate among these the rlgnt
.{Io fire upon d defenceiess city Wlthoul
! aotice: to burn that city to the grOunc
( after it had been surrendereo Dy III.
, Inhabitants, who CLAIMED, t!louSn II
,; vain. that protection which Is away
Il accorded in civilized warfare 20 non
) sleobatantS: to fire the dwelling mousse
! Of citizens after robhing them: and L
narpetrate even darker crimes thaI
/ dhese-crlmcS TOO Dlack 70 pe llleii
s1i9ned.
= Eou have permitted. if you have mo-
usdened. the commission of these of1en
YES agsilrst humanity and the rules @
v var yeu fired on the city OF Ce!um9i'
Without a word Of warning: after It
i sn ,render by the mayor, who demand
ed cd ,,rotes7ion to private property. yo'
laid the whole city in ashes: ieSsm n
amidst its ruins thousand;s o5 m oiu ,nH ,li1;
| ,, "r. liirely 80 perish of starvation an
axnoSu,re. Your line Of march can D
tracpd bv the lurid light Of burnln
houses and in more than one mouse
hold tn are is now an agony worse ina
tSnt tio ~ Of death. The Indian scalpe
his W virt i'm regardless of age or sex, Oh
! Win VII iii aris barbarity he always II
Snnctod "a'.t s'i' t!na persons OF his female caI