The National tribune., 1906-06-14

Having answered the points forced
upon me by your. letter of the 9Th of
September, I Gloss this correspondence
with you; and, notwithstanding YOUR
comments upon my appeal to God in
the cause of huma nifty, again humbly
and reverently invoke His Almighty aid
in defense of justice and right.
Respectfully. your obedient servant,
-. b. Hood, General"
Sherman Concludes.
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi,
Atlanta, Ga. Sept. IA. 1864.
"Gen. j. B. Hood. Commanding Army
of Tennessee.
General: Yours Of Sept IL is re-
ceived, and has been carefully perused.
I agree with You that this discussion
by two soldiers Is out of place and prof
itless; but you must admit that you be-
gan the controversy by characterizing
an official act of mine in unfair and i'm
proper terms. I reiterate my former
answer, and to the only new matter
contained in your rejoinder add: We
have no negro allies in this army: not
a single negro soldier left Chattanooga
with this army. or is with ii now. There
are a few guarding Chattanooga. which
Gen. Stedman sent at one time to drive
Wheeler out of Dalton.
to give notice of the shelling of Atlanta,
a fortified town. with magazines ar
senals, foundries and public stores;' You
were bound to take notice. See the
books
This is the conclusion of our corre-
spondence, which l did not begin, and
terminate with satisfaction.
81 am, with respect, your obedient
servant,
wv. T. Sherman, Major General Com
manding."
Hood Continues.
I preferred here to close the discus
sion and therefore made no reply to
his last communication inviting me to
''see the books"
l will at present. however, consider
this subject, and cite a few authorities
upon the above-disputed points, in or
der to show that Gen. Sherman's con-
duct, in this instance, was in violation
of the laws which should govern Ma
tions in time of war.
Atlanta could not properly be desig-
mated regularly fortified city. II was
simply protected by temporary breast
works. of the same character as those
used by Johnston and Sherman during
the preceding campaign. The fortifica-
tions consisted of a ditch, with log 10
act as protection to the heads of the
men whilst firing, and of brushwood,
when it could be obtained. thrown out
in front as an obstruction to a rapid
advance of the enemy. A large portion
of the line, which passed through open
fields, was devoid of this latter safe
guard. Moreover, only a few of the
heavy guns and batteries were covered
by embankments with embrasures.
Fortifica tions, ii is well known, are
divided into two classes-temporary and
permanent. Those I have described,
around Atlanta. come under the head
of the first class. The latter are con-
structed of the best material, iron and
stone. with parapet, deep and wide
ditch and glacis similar to the fortifica-
tions on Governors Island and those
of Fortress Monroe. In the construc-
ton of permanent works every exertion
is made to render them as strong and
durable as possible
II might be supposed, from Gen.
Sherman's Memoirs, that Atlanta was
not only a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS town,
but was provisioned TO endure siege
of a year or more, after all communi-
cation was cut off: that il possessed ar
senals and machine shops as extensive
as those in Richmond and Macon-an
illusion created probably by a dilapi-
dated foundry. near the Augusta road,
which had been in use prior to the war.
Gen. Sherman therefore cannot assert,
in order to justify certain acts, that
Atlanta was regularly fortified town.
And whereas / marched out at night,
allowing him the following day to enter
the rity. unopposed. as he himself ac-
knowledges, and whereas no provoca-
ton was given by the authorities, civil
or military, he can in no manner claim
that extreme war measures were a ne
cessity.
1t has been arPued that Wellington
sanctioned extreme measures against
the Basques, at the time he was op-
posed to Marshal Soult at Bayonne, IN
1914. Wellington perceived that. by
ish allies, under Nina and Morilla, were
arousing the Easques to arms, and at
once ordered The Spanish troops to abb
stain from such odious conduct. He