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Any destructive action taken by Lee's men was not condoned by Lee as it was on the Union end by Sherman. In fact when Lee invaded Pennsylvania, many Southerners were hoping he would give the Yankees a dose of their own medicine. Lee disappointed them. He ordered his men to pay for any supplies they took and he forbade any wanton destruction to private property.
If he could've, he should've. The north was as ripe as the south for having its will tested. Paying for supplies with what was, in effect, cut up newspaper is stealing. Lee's gentlemanly bent was admirable but insignificant. Had he the force in '64, he would have been well advised to consider the strategy. Unfortunately, he did not, so we can't know, can we?
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
I'm sorry, Neil. I missed this message. Yes, I do know of some actions against civilians by Lee's men, but they pale in comparison to the destruction of Southern property by the Union. Any destructive action taken by Lee's men was not condoned by Lee as it was on the Union end by Sherman. In fact when Lee invaded Pennsylvania, many Southerners were hoping he would give the Yankees a dose of their own medicine. Lee disappointed them. He ordered his men to pay for any supplies they took and he forbade any wanton destruction to private property.
Regards,
Rose
Rose were you aware that elments of the AoT (US) broke open and emptied two banks in Atlanta? Then consistantly paid for things w/ CS paper money. Somehow such facts are conveniently overlooked or forgotten when they are so enthusiasticly reviled as the worse kind of thieves...
As a further note a reknowned researcher did some rather exhaustive research and found not one account of a CS soldier dieing of starvation in either the AoT or ANV hardship and privation certainly but certainly no starvation... which soundly suprised him especially w/ regards to the AoT (CS).
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
If he could've, he should've. The north was as ripe as the south for having its will tested. Paying for supplies with what was, in effect, cut up newspaper is stealing. Lee's gentlemanly bent was admirable but insignificant. Had he the force in '64, he would have been well advised to consider the strategy. Unfortunately, he did not, so we can't know, can we?
Ole
Confederate money was legal tender. Paying for his supplies with the only means he had was a far sight better than stealing and destroying what he couldn't use.
There is no doubt Lee's army could have wreaked havoc in a small portion of the North, not to the extent that Sherman did in the South, but enough to make the North take notice. I can only imagine how outraged they would have been.
I don't think it's unfortunate, at all, that Lee didn't do those things. I believe it was to his credit to keep the war on the battlefield.
Regards,
Rose
__________________ "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names".--J.F.K.
The War Between the States established... This principle that the Federal Government is, through its courts, this final judge of its own powers.
-- Woodrow Wilson
Rose were you aware that elments of the AoT (US) broke open and emptied two banks in Atlanta? Then consistantly paid for things w/ CS paper money. Somehow such facts are conveniently overlooked or forgotten when they are so enthusiasticly reviled as the worse kind of thieves...
I wasn't aware that US soldiers stole money from a bank and used it to pay for supplies with. In the instances that I have referred to are the ones where the Union soldiers took food, livestock, etc., and destroyed the rest leaving the civilians without. I don't believe paying their way was a common Union trait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johan_steele
As a further note a reknowned researcher did some rather exhaustive research and found not one account of a CS soldier dieing of starvation in either the AoT or ANV hardship and privation certainly but certainly no starvation... which soundly suprised him especially w/ regards to the AoT (CS).
Confederate soldiers certainly knew hunger. There are varying degrees of starvation, not necessarily resulting in death. Actually, I had never figured any Confederate soldier had starved to death.
Rose
__________________ "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names".--J.F.K.
The War Between the States established... This principle that the Federal Government is, through its courts, this final judge of its own powers.
-- Woodrow Wilson
You do know that there are many accounts that Confederates, not the Union began infecting people with Smallpox...particularly troops of course with blankets, but I'm certain you could not contain it as such. Wonder how much collateral damage (ie outright KILLING OF CIVILIANS) came out of that preliminary form of bioterrorism. And how about Sherman's own account of Confederates poisoning ponds...hardly seems moral. The South has it's own guilt. That's probably much worse on the rules of war than Sherman's march. It certainly is in my opinion...of course, I may show some bias.
Last edited by IAmHistory; 08-18-2006 at 01:33 PM.
Rose were you aware that elments of the AoT (US) broke open and emptied two banks in Atlanta? Then consistantly paid for things w/ CS paper money. Somehow such facts are conveniently overlooked or forgotten when they are so enthusiasticly reviled as the worse kind of thieves...
Somehow the nobility of stealing money to pay for things escapes me.
Somehow the nobility of stealing money to pay for things escapes me.
Nothing noble about it. Stealing worthless money to pay for things was a great example of the yankee sense of humor.
Ozark:
Thanks for the picture. Normally, Sherman didn't allow his picture to be taken, but that one is one he liked. And why not? The horse is magnificent.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Somehow the nobility of stealing money to pay for things escapes me.
I was in St. Albans, VT a few years back. Nice town, with a nice little park, where the northernmost operation of the Civil War took place -- 15 miles from the Canadian border.
Lieutenant Bennett Young, with 20 mounted men, struck here on October 19, 1864. They robbed the three banks in town, stealing $208,000. They forced the bank-clerks to swear allegiance to the Confederacy at gunpoint (probably just fun-loving high-spirits). They attempted to burn the town, but the infernal devices they had brought failed and only a single woodshed was fired. One townsman was killed, a few wounded. This operation had been ordered by the Confederate government, along with others.
As wars go, the ACW was fought pretty cleanly. Rapes and murders happened in small numbers, organized abuse of the civilian population was infrequent, attrocities were unusual. Generally speaking, there are more on the Union side -- but this is only to be expected, because opportunities for depredations in Union territory were infrequent and brief.
bIs it useful to divide violence against civilians and private propertly into these groups:
1. Disorganized: the unauthorized vandalism, theft, looting and assaults that occured around the armies, such as the Army of the Potomac(and others)_
2. Guerilla/feud: the nasty civilian/military clashes in Missouri and eastern Tennessee. Authorized, and unauthorized.
3. Attacks on shipping, such as the CSS Alabama on Northern shipping. Authorized.
4. "Covert" actions like the St. Albans raid and the attempt to burn down NYC.
5. Sherman's march, where the destruction was authorized and systematic, in pursuit of strategic goals. Sheridan's destruction of the Shenandoah Valley is the other great example.
6. The great cavalry raids.
Sherman's March was so big and so destructive its generally seen as an unique event, on a different order of magnitude as the others.
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