Jersey Girl Defends Robert E. Lee

Frontpage Magazine ^ | May 16, 2017 | Danusha Goska

[DoodleDawg]

Didn’t Lincoln pretty much pardon everyone involved with the rebellion except for Jeff Davis and some others?

Lincoln didn't since he was assassinated shortly after Lee's surrender. Andrew Johnson did.

[Do the math]

The bombing targets during ww2 were always either strategic or tactical in nature. The woman and children that died were not targets. Many officers on both the North and South would give women and children safe passage away from the battlefield, because they were gentlemen. In his March to the sea, Sherman was not a gentleman. With his scorched Earth strategy he intentionally starved women and children by burning crops and taking all the livestock in his path. A bomber can’t control what is near his targets, but Sherman did not care about collateral damage.

[DoodleDawg]

The bombing targets during ww2 were always either strategic or tactical in nature. The woman and children that died were not targets.

The firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo were not targeting women and children? British bombing of cities did not target women and children? Have you not read anything about it?

In his March to the sea, Sherman was not a gentleman. With his scorched Earth strategy he intentionally starved women and children by burning crops and taking all the livestock in his path.

And yet I'm not aware of any reports of wide-spread famine in Sherman's path. Can you point me to some sources for that?

A bomber can’t control what is near his targets, but Sherman did not care about collateral damage.

Nonsense. Allied bombing during World War II, like Axis bombing, was done without concern for collateral casualties. If you are convinced that Sherman was a war criminal then so was the Allied air forces.

[BradyLS]

My thanks for the reminder!

[Do the math]

Dresden and Tokyo were military targets, so were Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Those targets were chosen to destroy key industries necessary for the military. Unlike today where we can control collateral casualties, carpet bombing will result in lots of collateral damage. Dresden had many factories and was a vitle link in the Germans supply lines. Dresden had to be destroyed to hurt the Germans military. Sherman was a brutal fighter who rampage in the Savannah campaign is well documented. Even the New York times wrote an article about how bad he was during the war. For example, he executed pows and civilians. He laid seige to towns and would not let women and children leave the battlefield. I've read many books on war, and I will give you supporting evidence in my next post to you.

[DoodleDawg]

Dresden and Tokyo were military targets, so were Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Those targets were chosen to destroy key industries necessary for the military.

They were also full of civilians, deliberately targeted. If Sherman was a war criminal then by your definition so were they.

Sherman was a brutal fighter who rampage in the Savannah campaign is well documented.

"War is the remedy our enemy's have chosen. They dared us to war, and you remember how tauntingly they defied us to the contest. We have accepted the issue and it must be fought out. You might as well reason with a thunderstorm. 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." - William Sherman

For example, he executed pows and civilians. He laid seige to towns and would not let women and children leave the battlefield.

"If the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity seeking." - William Sherman

read many books on war...

As have I.

[Do the math]

Atlanta had to be destroyed for the North to win the war. As a major commercial and railroad hub it needed to be attacked for military reasons. Dresden was attacked for the same reasons that Atlanta was attacked. In both cases civilians died, but I don't consider these to be war crimes. As a Southern Cajun boy, I can forgive and understand why the North destroyed Atlanta.

On Sherman's march to the sea, non-combatants were murdered, women were raped, and it has been said that Sherman lost control of his men in South Carolina. If the South had won the war he would have been hung for his war crimes. His men even burned down churches and convents. I respect your opinion about Sherman, but I grew up hearing stories about him. I'll willing to admit that I am probably biased against him because I'm from the South. In any case I hope I haven't offended you. Got to get back to work.