The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-03
Letters to the Editor.
Not PeriIous.

NOt Fer1tOu6.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 The reverend prelate. son os the great soldier, General sherman, Is not necessarily studying the art pf war along Which l1pYse his father H % rode fire from oads Ats lanta to Savannah, in the last two months of 1864. The march was not war General sherman was never feature of the science of modern war illustrates the march. It was merely an extraordinary procession. as far as
 fpo ep pafa ppot to anotSer ~tRoy cassvsn consisted %1lss'9n of a5oo SIX foaT mule wagons, escorted by the following ing general:
 Infantry ;. .. .. ..b2.7ss
 Artillery .. LES
 cavalry = = .. 4,sei
 Total ..5s,545
 Large numbers of fugitive slaves left the plantations to join. the pro- were abandoned as far as possible.
 No Confederate army menaced the
 march," The progress toward Sa- vannah was without days delay and made in easy stages. to suit the com venience of the General commanding.
 General Wheeler was at Gadsden. ont ra s fsns gsen ists 1ss The invaders whole original scheme was to join Grant at City Point on the James. Until he had moved out, as self determined whether he would take ships at Pensacola or at Savannah. He asked the government at Wash tosn sthRsr G hRroyas pon the te Ss designed by him. Wheeler, with 4,ie0 jaded cavalry, many in rags. many lily armed with. no artillery or infantry support without single tent. or bag gage or commissary wagon, not Try ing pan or a coffee pot not carried on. the owners saddle fell in behind Sher- vannah. He followed the course of march, striking the rear, rode around the caravan, rode into its front, and by day and by night fought the de- and burn the houses. sherman selected Major General Fitzpatrick to command his cavalry, about twenty per cent freshly mounted on Tennessee and Kentucky horses, thoroughly armed with the latest repeating carbires, and most RRssndsomsly eqnpPsd K,pstrek aIs. ta gether. In Virginia. KilpatrickS had been selected to lead the Darlgren raid on Richmond. few months before: Sherman had failed before he reached Atlanta. with stoneman. Garrard and McCook as cavalry leaders. When he selected Fitzpatrick, he was In high fettle, He had small doubt but that
 
 leaving utter desolation and death, as wide as from Augusta to Savannah.
 The annals of the worlds martial achievements flash upon the recorded spring than the ceaseless impact of the young Confederate chieftain upon Sherman's mighty host--marching. for the sea. He narrowed the range of the n,arauders and despoilers, staying hum dreds and freeing hundreds of old men, women and children from their vile presence. He taught Fitzpatrick the lesson of unvarylng dependence on his infantry support, and to that extent disqualified him for the work. Sher- man had given him to do; He saved his powder-miiis, cotton mills and above all. the bridge over the Savannah river there.
 sherman yearned to take Augusta. At Waynesboro he swung off from his main column with all his cavalry and one army corps intent on reaching the coveted prize, only dav or two march road, fought and turned back. The Reverend Father might yet find. the belt of woods above Waynesboro where Kilpatrick, in full skedaddle. lost his hat to be picked up by Wheeler; he might find the private residence in which General sherman summoned his ranking officers to show them the. his toric captured" leather bag of Wheel CTS containing certain memoranda in regard to the precautions of Bragg at Augusta to receive him. and to hear that commanders decision to turn away from the expedition. He might find the old plantation of General Howell Cebb, and the ruins visited on it, for political effect. under the personal supervision of General Sherman. He might find the old stable from which Sherman's rene gade Captain of escort, stole his Geor- gia uncle's favorite horse Indeed he might expect to see and hear much of the march, of which the commanding general declared he had wantonly de- stroyed property in excess of what he could use or take off. to the extent of a million dollars. But such things are not glorious war.
 President Roosevelts tour of the South enlightened him. He is wise and prudent to frown upon the non com batant's supercilious and prurient habit of mind.