The National tribune., 1906-05-10

bies of 1882. Next came the intoler-
able grievance of not being allowed to
take their slaves into the Territories.
| 1t was made to appear that every man
in the South was suffering keenly be-
cause he was not allowed to take his
slaves into Kansas and Nebraska. AS a
matter of statistics not one man in 40
in the South owned slaves, and prob
ably not one in a thousand wanted to
take his slaves to the new countries
beyond the Mississippi. These alleged
grievances. however, were sufficient to
bring about the war, and then the war
furnished them with an abundance of
others.
Not. however since Booker WASH
ington took lunch with the President
has there been anything by which the
southern heart has been fred SO
successfully as by proposition by
Father Sherman to revisit the cam
paisning grounds of his father attend
ed by an escort of United States
troops.
A number of officers were to make a
practice march over the fields of the
Atlanta campaign attended by small
cavalry escort. Father Sherman was
invited to accompany the party. These
practice marches for the purpose OF
studying the operations of the war
are made every Summer by officers of
the Army. and are in every way COM
mendable. The politicians Of the
South saw an opportunity, from
the presence of Father Sherman, to
throw some successful fits, and they
did so. All over the South, and par
ticularly i'm Georgia, swept storm of
protest against 'the gratuitous insults
to the Southern people" involved in
sending the son of Gen. Sherman with
an escort of United States troops over
the ground over which his fathers army
swept in the March to the Sea. There
were shrieks and vociferatiOns led by
United States Senator's and Represent
atives as to recalling the outrages and
cruelties perpetrated upon the innocent
and defenseless people Of Georgia by
the March to the Sea. Again there
was absolutely no basis for this. The
orders to the commander at Fort Nc
Pherson, Atlanta, seem to have been
to furnish the officers and Father Sher-
man with an escort of cavalrymen to
accompany them from Chattanooga to
Atlanta. This cid not mean the March
to the Sea by any means. for the At
lanta campaign was over and done
months before the March to the Sea
began.
The campaign from Chattanooga to
Atlanta was one of the greatest oper-
atoms in the history Of military sci
ence, and 1t can be well studied with
advantage to history and to the art OF
war. 1t cannot be too much studied,
because the highest principles OF the
art of war were exemplified by the
two great Captains opposing each
other, William T. Sherman and Joseph
T.. Johnston. and the magnificent arm
les under their command. The Con-
federates should be proud Of that cam
paign, Of the splendid ability with
which 1t was conducted by Gen. John
ston and his subOrdinates and the
magnificent fighting of the Confeder-
ate forces during those momentous 100
days. The more the campaign is stud
led the better 1T will appear for all
parties to it, and the object of the
practice march was q laudable one and
should have received cordial support.
AS everyone knows, the March to
the Sea began at Atlanta in November,
the campaign for the capture Of that
city having closed Sept. 1. 1864. That
famous march was very spectacular
thing, but it's unpleasant features have
been grossly exaggerated to the South
In place of being destructive raid it
Is doubtful IL ever q march of that
length by an army was accomplished
with as little real loss to the people,
This Is cold history which all the raw
ings of the Southern politicians and
the people of Georgia cannot alter.
After the fall Of Atlanta the Georgia
militia was dismissed to their homes
! to gather their crops. They got them
safely housed just In time for Sherman
| to come along and appropriate them
for the support Of his army. Sher-
| mans army made a pretty clean swath
| for a front of so miles through the
1
gia. and undoubtedly left little corn,
sorghum. cattle, pigs and chickens in
its wake. Beyond this the loss to the
people was very little. The march was
| too swift and too well-regulated to
allow miscellaneous plundering and
burning. All the men in the columns
were veteran soldiers, and there was
singularly few OF the camp followers
and irregular bands which usually ac-
company an army and who are the
great affection to q country through
which it passes. All these had been
cleaned out when the army was strip
ped to the skin for march and battle.
Kentucky, for example, suffered in
comparably more during the war than
central Georgia did by Sherman
march. In Kentucky the campfollow-
ers. guerrillas and similar robbers hang
ing around both armies were In the
State from the beginning OF the war
to the end. and inflicted incalculable
damage. Sherman's army on the other