Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-03-16
NUMBERING OF CONFEDERATEs.
How Gen. Hampton Scored Sherman
for His Uncivilizcd Conduct.

A correspondent Of the Bamberg
Herald contributes the following let
ter from Gen. Wade Hampton to Gen.
Sherman, while the latter was camped
in the vicinity Of Rivers Bridges, in
Bamberg county. which Is of interest
to the present generation:
Major Gen. w. II. Sherman, u. S.
Army: General-Your communica-
ton Of the Gath instant reached me
to-day. In it you state that it has
been officially reported that your for
aging parties are murdered after
capture. You go on to say that you
have ordered similar number Of
prisoners in our hands 70 be disposed
Of in like manner This Is to say
you have ordered number of Con-
federate soldiers to be murdered
You characterize your order in pro-
per terms, for the public voice, even
IN your own country, where 1T seldom
dares to express itself in vindication
Of truth, honor or justice, will surely
agree with you in pronouncing you
guilty Of murder If your order is car
ried out. Before dismissine this Dor
ton of your letter beg to assure you
that for every soldier OF mine 'mur-
dered' by you, | shall have executed
at once two Of your, giving in all
cases preference to all officers who
may be in my hands.
In reference to the statement you
make in regard to the death Of your
foragers, | have only to say | know
nothing Of it. That no orders given
by me authorize the killing Of prs-
oners after capture, and that do
not believe any OF my men killed
any OF yours, except under circum-
stances in which it was perfectly le-
gitimate and proper that they should
XIII them. 1t is a part Of the Sys-
tenn Of the thieves, whom you desig-
nate as your foragers, to fire the
dwellings Of those citizens whom they
have robbed. To check this inhu-
man system, which is justly cxecrat-
ed by every civilized nation, have
directed my men to shoot down all of
your men who are caught burning
houses. This order shall remain in
force rs long as you disgrace the pro-
fcssion of arms by allowing your
men to destroy private dwellings,.
"You say cannot of course ques-
,ttrl,
country. 1T is right as old as his
tory do not, sir, question this
right. But there is right older
than this, and one more inalienable
the right that every man has to
defend his home, and to protect those
dependent upon him, and from my
heart, l wish that every old man and
boy IN my country who can fire
gun would shoot down, as he would
wild beast, the men who are do
stroying their land, burning their
homes and insulting their women.
You are particular in defining and
claiming war rights May | ask if
you enumerate among these the right
to fire upon defenseless city with
out notice; to burn that city to the
ground after 1t had been surrendered
by the inhabitants, who claim,
though in vain, that protection which
is always accorded in civilized war
fare to non-combatants, to fire the
houses OF citizens after robbing them,
ana to perpetuate even darker crimes
than these-crimes too black to be
| mentioned.
You have permitted, if you have
not ordered. the commission Of these
offenses against humanity and the
rules Of war. You fired into the city
Of Columbia without a word of warn
ing after its surrender by the mayor,
who demanded protection to private
property. You laid the whole city
in ashes, leaving amidst its ruins
thousands Of old men and help .ss
women and children, who are likely
TO perish OF starvation and exposure
Your line Of march can be traced
by the lurid light OF burning houses
ana in more than one thousand lhcrn
Is no" an agony far more bitter than
lhat OF death. The Indian scalpcd
his victim, regardless Of age or sex.
but with all his barbary he always
respected the person Of his female
ca. ives. Your soldiers, more say
age than the Indian, insult those
whose natural protectors are absent
In conclusion, | have only to re-
quest that Whcneycr ynn hauc any