This one is also good:
Posted on 11/15/2017 6:05:25 AM PST by Bull Snipe
Major General William T. Sherman and four Corps of the Union Army departed the city of Atlanta and began what is known as the “March to the Sea”. General Sherman’s objective in few words was “to make Georgia howl.” To this end he was very successful. During the march across Georgia, Sherman’s army inflicted 100 million dollars’ worth of damage on the Confederate State. This included destruction of 300 miles of rail road, miles of telegraph wire, numerous bridges & trestles. His forces confiscated or destroyed 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, 13,000 cattle, 9.5 million pounds of corn and 10.5 million pounds of fodder. One Union soldier, in his memoires of the march, said that it was the only time he ever gained weigh on a campaign. In a letter dated 24 Dec 1865 to Secretary of War Stanton; Sherman states “We are not only fighting armies, but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war, as well as their organized armies. I know that this recent movement of mine through Georgia has had a wonderful effect in this respect. Thousands who had been deceived by their lying papers into the belief that we were being whipped all the time, realized the truth, and have no appetite for a repetition of the same experience.”
One of the greatest war crimes in history.
“The night they burned old Dixie down...” Atlanta was set alight and the entire city burned to the ground.
Another quote from Major General Sherman “War is the solution our enemies have chosen, and I say give them all they want.”
With California wanting to secede, I eagerly await “Marching through California.”
General Sherman was a serious man.
A lot of people have lauded Grant’s Memoirs, and rightfully so, and perhaps that is why Sherman’s Memoirs are overlooked. They make for a fascinating read.
War is hell.
Quote in full: “War is the remedy our enemies have chosen. Other simple remedies were within their choice. Yon know it and they know it, but they wanted war, and I say let us give them all they want; not a word of argument, not a sign of let up, no cave in till we are whipped or they are.”
Hardly. Sherman crippled the Confederacy’s will — and ability — to wage war. Which is precisely what he set out to do.
By the time he reached the coast, and even before, when Atlanta fell, the Confederates should have recognized that their cause was lost, and that all they could do was forestall the inevitable.
Thanks, am familiar with the entire quote.
I’m sure you are. But I always enjoy a chance to put Sherman’s eloquence on display.
Have read both. I think General Sherman’s memoirs are a little more intellectual than Grant’s. He devotes more time to his thoughts and motivations.
It is always very educational to read the thoughts of great men.
The March through Georgia, if considered a war crime, which itself is a debatable proposition, doesn’t even make the top 25. Consider the following wars/campaigns:
Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653)
The Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814)
The Taiping Rebellion (1850-64)
Mexican Revolution (1911-20)
The Turkish war against the Armenians
The Russian Civil War and Revolution
Spanish Civil War
The German invasions of Poland, Russia, France
The Chinese Civil War (1927-37 then 1945-49)
Sino-Japanese War (1937-45)
The Japanese invasions of the Philippines, Malaya, Burma
Each of these wars and/or operations contained multiple war crimes that greatly exceed the size and scope of civilian death and destructiveness that Sherman inflicted upon Georgia.
"War" was the solution Lincoln chose, because he could not get what he wanted (the continuation of the money flow from the South into the Northern Power broker's pockets) any other way.
Who pulled the lanyard first, who signed letters of Marque first? These are acts of war. The appropriate response is war.
He proved that 20 million people could eventually overcome 5 million people if given enough time, no matter how hard those 5 million fought to defend their land and homes.
Of course Adolph Hitler proved much the same thing during the subsequent century.
This one is also good:
Johnny Reb shot first.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.