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To: Colonel Kangaroo
I was just reading how on the days of Apr. 17th and 18th , 1865 , immediately after receiving an emergency cable that Lincoln had been shot , Sherman went on to meet with Gen. Joseph Johnston about the honorable surrender of Confederate forces at Bennit Farm NC. Sherman showed the cable to Johnston and watched his reaction to the news , which was horrified and indignant. Sherman thereby believed that the Confederate Army was not complicit in the assassination of Lincoln and upon announcing the death of Lincoln to his own troops also exonerated the CSA forces from the deed and held off cries for revenge and massacre . He went on to offer good terms to Johnston and the rest is history.
My point is here that controversial as he was Sherman did the right thing in the end . He could have allowed the merciless revenge attacks upon Confederates and Southern civilians and a holocaust would have followed .
Perhaps this is why upon Sherman's death in NYC , years later , Gen. Johnston appeared personally to offer his deep respects .....
186 posted on 01/19/2006 11:46:14 PM PST by injin
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To: injin
There were some of the best and noble spirits America has ever produced on both sides of the conflict. I think that the Union was 100% right, but if we don't see the nobility of many Americans at that time, even if we reject their allegiance, we risk falling into the trap of Democratic-style blind broad-brush invective.

I appreciate you posting the actions of two great Americans. It did me a lot of good.

203 posted on 01/20/2006 6:03:08 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
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