Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-08-09
sI.oo A YEAR.
NEW VOL. 41.---NO. 80
sherman's March to the Sea.

DR.. Henry E. Shepherd, Of Balti-
more, well known in Stauuton, in last
Sundays Sun tells of Sherman 8 march
to the sea. bit of history Of which
the United States ought to be almost
as much ashamed as the recent battle
of Mt. Jolo in the Philippines. when
600 Moros, consisting OF men, women
aud children. were slain. If they had
captured even Que baby the situation
might have been somewhat redeemed,
Just as some decent act Of Sherman's
army might have sent one ray of re.
deeming light into the gloom Of that
disgraceful campaign. DR.. Shepherd
says:
"In the correspondence which pass
ed between Gen. Halleck, Federal
Chief of Staff, and Sherman, Dec. 18th,
1864, Hslleck writes to Sherman at
Savannah
Should you capture Charleston. /
hope that by some accident the place
may be destroyed, and if a little salt
should be sown on the site it may de.
stroy the growth of future crops Of
nulli6cation and.tresson." (See Me.
mOirs of Sherman" vol. IL, page 22S.
To this Infamous suggestion Sher-
man replied on the Oath Of December
81 will bear in mind your hint, and
do not think salt will he necessary.
When move the 18th Corps will be
on the right Of the right wing. and
their position will naturally bring
them into Charleston first, and if you
have watched the history Of that corps
you will have noticed that they gen.
orally do their work pretty well. In
fact, the whole army is burning With
an Unsuitable desire to wreak venge.
ance upon South Carolina. almost
tremble for her fate, but feel that she
deserves all that is in store for her."
("Memoirs Of Sherman vol. IL, page
227-23S)
In an address delivered at Salem,
Ohio. not long after the close OF the
drama Sherman enuncistes and vim
dicates his theory OF war in clear aud
unequivocal language
"We (the army which he command
ed) were strung out from Nashville
clear down to Atlanta. Had I gone
on stringing out our forces what dan.
ger would there not have been OF their
attacking this little head Of the col.
umn and crushing it ? Therefore rs.
solved to stop the game Of guarding
their cities and to destroy their cities.
We were determined to produce re-
suits and now what were those results2
To make every man, woman and child
in the South feel that il they dared to
rebel against the flag Of their country
they must die or submit"
In marked contrast with the Sher.
man and Hslleck suggestions is the
order OF Gen. Lee when in Pennsyl.
vania, says DR.. Shepherd:
when Lee entered Pennsylvania
in June 1868, and its bounteous,
smiling valley lay PROSTATE at our
feet, he issued a general order June
9th, in which the following language
occurs:
"fhe duties enacted Of US by civil
lizstion and Christianity are not less
obligatory in the country Of the enc.
my than in our town. The com.
manding general considers that no
greater disgrace could befslI the army,
and through it our whole people. than
the perpetration Of bsrbarous out.
RACES upon the unarmsd and defense
less and the wanton destruction Of
private property that have marked
the course Of the enemy in our own
country. 1t will be remembered that
we make war upon armed men,"
Who, when the cloud of war has
passed away, would not Q thousand
times rather have written the Lee or.
der, than the words contained in eth
er the HslIeck or the Sherman cor
respendsnce f-Staanton Spectator.