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Sherman may have scorched the earth but I believe Hood sent more southerners to death and their destruction than ol' Cump ever did during his March to the Sea and Carolina campaign. Where were the CSA troops to help stop Sherman? I beleive they were in TN "showing them Yanks up" in Franklin...and again...much of the "atrosities" of Sheman's march were quite trumped up. Remember, exageration made for good copy and that's what sold newspapers (and books) and stories told to granchildren of grandpa's exploits in the war. Heck, on the Union side it seems every soldier was a Gettysburg when it came to war stories told to decendant!
__________________ 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain
So now, IAmHistory, you can see the deep feelings about Sherman. Personally, I can't see the reasoning behind it, but then, I was not raised there, nor were my antecedents. The destruction is considerably overblown, although there certainly was destruction.At the time, and continuing into today, I will never understand how a people who start a war can complain about how it is conducted. But now I'm knocked over the beehive. Cover yourself. Run!
Ole
Don't make me laugh, Ole...it's bad for my "morally outraged" image. Anyway, you know Ole Abe started the war.
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...did ya ever read the 1st Inaugural Address by Lincoln? Oh and yes...I forget...how many ballots was Lincoln listed on in the south?! Pretty much none of them if I recall my history....a little oversight/insult to the north perhaps .......NO! NO! NO! Southern Honor and PRIDE they say..(oh brother)
Lincoln did what the south expected him to do (because the south knew they were trespassing) and hoped he would be another Buchannan or wanna be president McClellan.
__________________ 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain
With all due respect Wild Rose in reference to your comment on his failure to "square off in front of the Confederate army", unless I am reading revisionist history if Johnson would have stood his ground at Kennesaw Mtn, perhaps the tale of Atlanta might have been a different tale to tell.
I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure it was Johnson doing the Georgia two step backwards. The scorched earth policy, well thats another issue for another day and one we are much more on the same page with.
Respectfully,
Spartan
As I understand it Sherman had Johnson badly out numbered. It's how Sherman used his power against non-combatants that is reprehensible. War on civilians should not have happened. But then, that's just MHO.
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
Sherman may have scorched the earth but I believe Hood sent more southerners to death and their destruction than ol' Cump ever did during his March to the Sea and Carolina campaign. Where were the CSA troops to help stop Sherman? I beleive they were in TN "showing them Yanks up" in Franklin...and again...much of the "atrosities" of Sheman's march were quite trumped up.
I don't believe Hood ever fought against civilians. And the CSA troops in Tennessee "showing them Yanks up" were fighting with the enemy's army, not their wives.
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Originally Posted by 30th_il
Remember, exageration made for good copy and that's what sold newspapers (and books) and stories told to granchildren of grandpa's exploits in the war. Heck, on the Union side it seems every soldier was a Gettysburg when it came to war stories told to decendant!
There's always exaggeration after an event as major as Sherman's march to the sea. That doesn't mean that much of it wasn't true.
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
Don't make me laugh, Ole...it's bad for my "morally outraged" image. Anyway, you know Ole Abe started the war.
Now you're making me laugh, but that's another subject.
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There's always exaggeration after an event as major as Sherman's march to the sea. That doesn't mean that much of it wasn't true.
I will agree that some of it was true.
Stories grow with the retelling, and it's been retold for quite a number of generations. With 60,000 hacked-off veterans marching and feeding off the civilian population, there will be considerable collateral damage. Abandoned homes were routinely burned. The soldiers were forbidden (hah!) to enter occupied dwellings and, for the greatest majority, occupied homes were spared.
I notice that we are not accounting for the depradations of Wheeler's Cavalry, assorted Confederate deserters, and local outlaws, much of which was eventually ascribed to Sherman. There's little to gain from discussing how much damage was done, to whom or by whom -- we'll likely carry that to our ultimate rest. It was not a nice time. War is hell. That was war. At the end of it, all of us had been given some terrible lessons.
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
See, part of the problem is that many don't understand the there was no international code of wartime conduct. Even the Lieber Code was not yet accepted internationally. The point is that Sherman drove in a big chunk of the victory because of what he did. It was the only way the South was going to give it up. This way, there was no other option. In my mind too he is in fact a brilliant tactician and strategist. To pull off what he did is rather amazing. Give the man some credit! The faster the South can get over the whole Sherman thing, they better off they will be. Up here, we rarely even hear a thing about the civil war, and I think my whole education of it prior to college was 3 40 minute class periods. I've learned a lot since then Be proud of your heritage, but respect the other side too and admit when they were skillful in their fight.
YankeeBelle:
J'Accuse! You are hereby called on the carpet for using logic and reasoning when discussing an emotional subject. Fie!
Hey. Welcome. You'll likely find this to be a good place to spend more time than you ever intended to invest. Beats the heck out of hanging around bars.
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
See, part of the problem is that many don't understand the there was no international code of wartime conduct. Even the Lieber Code was not yet accepted internationally.
There was, however, a code of morality and integrity that guided many of the leaders in the WBTS. Evidence of that code is seen on both sides of the war, however, it is sadly lacking in the actions of Sherman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeeBelle
The point is that Sherman drove in a big chunk of the victory because of what he did. It was the only way the South was going to give it up. This way, there was no other option. In my mind too he is in fact a brilliant tactician and strategist. To pull off what he did is rather amazing. Give the man some credit!
The end justifies all means? I have to disagree. If the CSA could have won the war by doing in the North what Sherman did to the South, I am eternally thankful that we had leaders like Robert E. Lee who would have never taken that path. There are some things worse than losing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeeBelle
The faster the South can get over the whole Sherman thing, they better off they will be. Up here, we rarely even hear a thing about the civil war, and I think my whole education of it prior to college was 3 40 minute class periods. I've learned a lot since then Be proud of your heritage, but respect the other side too and admit when they were skillful in their fight.
I understand. My son-in-law, a Wisconsinite, was shocked to learn that there were ever any slaves in any of the Northern states. Here in the South we seldom casually discuss the WBTS, either. Mostly those discussions are limited to history buffs and boards like this one. However, any notion that the South will soon forget is false. The scars were too deep. Northerners can't understand this, but then they have never had the devastation of war come to their cities and people in the same way as the South did.
There are a number of Northern war era figures I respect, but Sherman and a few others just don't fall into that catagory.
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
...I am eternally thankful that we had leaders like Robert E. Lee who would have never taken that path.
There was considerable burning and looting during the Gettysburg Campaign. Lee forbid it, as did Sherman, but both were powerless to curtail it absolutely. And I don't believe you can show that Lee didn't know about the burning of Chambersburg.
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There are some things worse than losing.
Name one.
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
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