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General Sherman decided that the imperious exigencies of war, especially when considered with reference to his base of supplies, required that Atlanta should be occupied exclusively for military purposes. Therefore he issued an order on the 6th of September, directing that "all families living in Atlanta, the male representatives of which are in the service of the Confederate States, or who have gone South, will leave the city within five days. All citizens from the North, not connected with the military service, were also directed to leave within the same period." General Hood protested against this removal, stating "this measure transcends in studied and ingenious cruelty, all acts ever before brought to my attention in the dark history of war." To this General Sherman made a reply, defending the act, as follows:

"You style the measure proposed, unprecedented, and appeal to the dark history of war for a parallel as an act of 'studied ingenious cruelty. It is not unprecedented, for General Johnston himself, very wisely and properly removed the families all the way from Dalton down, and I see no reason why Atlanta should be excepted. Nor is it necessary to appeal to the dark history of war, when recent and modern examples are so handy. You yourself burned dwelling houses along your parapet, and I have seen to-day, fifty houses that you have rendered uninhabitable because they stood in the way of your forts and men. You defended Atlanta on a line so close to the town, that every cannon shot, and many musket shots from our line of entrenchments that overshot their mark, went into the habitations of women and children. General Hardee did the same at Jonesboro, and General Johnston did the same last summer at Jackson, Mississippi. I have not accused you of heartless cruelty, but merely instance those cases of very recent occurrence, and could go on and enumerate hundreds of others, and challenge any fair man to judge which of us has the heart of pity for the families of brave people. I say, it is a kindness to those families of Atlanta to remove them now at once from scenes to which women and children should not be exposed; and the 'brave people' should scorn to commit their wives and children to the rude barbarians who thus, as you say, violate the laws of war, as illustrated in the pages of its dark history. In the name of common sense I ask you not to appeal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner-you, who, in the midst of peace and prosperity, have plunged a nation into civil war, 'dark and cruel war;' who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals

and forts that were left in the honorable custody of a peaceful Ordnance Sergeant, seized and made prisoners of war the very garrisons sent to protect your people against negroes and Indians, long before any overt act was committed by the-to you-'hateful Lincoln Government,' tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into the rebellion in spite of themselves, falsified the vote of Louisiana, turned loose your privateers to plunder unarmed ships, expelled Union families by the thousand, burned their houses, and declared by an act of Congress, the confiscation of all debts due Northern men, for goods had, and received. Talk thus to me who have seen these things, and will this day make as much sacrifice for the peace and honor of the South as the best born southerner among you! If we must be enemies, let us be men, and fight it out as we propose to-day, and not deal in such hypocritical appeals to God and humanity. God will judge me in good time, and He will pronounce whether it be more humane to fight with a town full of women, and the families of a 'brave people,' at our backs, or to remove them in time, to places of safety among their own friends and people."

In reply to an appeal from the Mayor of Atlanta, asking him to revoke his order, General Sherman said:

"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,

"IN THE FIELD,

"ATLANTA, GA., Sept. 10, 1864. “GENTLEMEN: I have your letter of the 11th, in the nature of a petition to revoke my orders removing all the inhabitants from Atlanta. I have read it carefully and give full credit to your statements of the distress that will be occasioned by it, and yet shall not revoke my order, simply because my orders are not designed to meet the humanities of the case, but to prepare for the future struggles in which millions, yea hundreds of millions of good people out side of Atlanta have a deep interest. We must have peace, not only at Atlanta, but in all America. To secure this we must stop the war that desolates our once happy and favored country. To stop war we must defeat the rebel armies that are arrayed against the laws and Constitution, which all must respect and obey. To defeat these armies, we must prepare the way to reach them in their recesses, provided with the arms and instruments which enable us to accomplish our purpose. Now I know the vindictive nature of our enemy, and that we may have many years of military operations from this quarter, and therefore deem it wise and prudent to prepare in time. The use of Atlanta for war-like purposes, is inconsistent with its character as a home for families. There will be no man

ufactures, commerce or agriculture here for the maintenance of families, and sooner or later want will compel the inhabitants to go. Why not go now, when all the arrangements are completed for the transfer, instead of waiting till the plunging shot of contending armies will renew the scenes of the past month? Of course I do not apprehend any such thing at this moment; but you do not suppose that this army will be here till the war is over. I cannot discuss the subject with you fairly, because I cannot impart to you what I propose to do; but I assert, that my military plans make it nesessary for the inhabitants to go away, and I can only renew my offer of services to make their exodus in any direction as easy and comfortable as possible.

"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war on our country, deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and a division of our country. If the United States submits to a division now, it will not stop, but will go on till we reap the fate of Mexico, which is eternal war. The United States does and must assert its authority wherever it has power; if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I know that such is not the national feeling. This feeling assumes various shapes, but always comes back to that of Union. Once admit the union; once more acknowledge the authority of the National Government, and instead of devoting your houses and streets and roads to the dread uses of war, I, and this army, become at once your protectors and supporters, shielding you from danger, let it come from whatever quarter it may.

"I know that a few individuals cannot resist a torrent of error and passion, such as has swept the South into rebellion; but you can point out, so that we may know those who desire a Government, and those who insist on war and its desolation.

You might as well appeal against the thunder storm, as against these terrible hardships of war. They are inevitable, and the only way the people of Atlanta can hope once more to live in peace and quiet at home, is to stop this war, which can alone be done by admitting that it began in error and is perpetuated in pride. We don't want your negroes, or your homes or your land, or anything you have; but we do want, and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and if it involves the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it. You have heretofore read public sentiment in your newspapers that live by falsehood and excitement; and the quicker you seek for truth in other quarters, the better for you. I re

peat then, that by the original compact of government, the United States had certain rights in Georgia, which have never been relinquished, and never will be; that the South began war by seizing forts, arsenals, mints, custom-houses, &c., &c., long before Mr. Lincoln was installed, and before the South had one jot or tittle of provocation. I myself have seen in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, hundreds and thousands of women and children fleeing from your armies and desperadoes, hungry, and with bleeding feet. In Memphis, Vicksburg and Mississippi, we fed thousands upon thousands of families of rebel soldiers left on our hands, and whom we could not see starve. Now, that war comes home to you, you feel very different; you deprecate its horrors, but did not feel them when you sent car loads of soldiers and ammunition, and moulded shell and shot to carry war into Kentucky, and Tennessee, and desolate the homes of hundreds and thousands of good people, who only asked to live in peaee at their own homes and under the government of their inheritance.

"But these comparisons are idle. I want peace, and believe it can only be reached through Union and war; and I will ever conduct war purely with a view to perfect an early success.

"But my dear sir, when that peace does come, you may call on me for anything. Then will I share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your home and families against danger from every quarter. Now, you must go, and take with you the old and feeble, feed and nurse them, and build for them in more quiet places, proper habitations to shield them against the weather until the mad passions of men cool down, and allow the Union and peace, once more to settle upon your old homes at Atlanta.” *

This letter is written with great vigor and truth, and it is inserted at length, to show that General Sherman wrote as well as he fought. Indeed, if there are others among the Union Generals, who might contest with Sherman for superiority in the use of the sword, his superiority in the use of the pen would be generally conceded.

Meanwhile Hood, under orders direct from Richmond, undertook a movement to the north. Moving far to the right of Atlanta, he struck the railroad and moved north. General Sherman therefore proposed to General Grant to abandon and destroy Atlanta, and all the roads leading to it, and make a bold march through the enemy's country to the sea.

* Appleton's Encyclopedia 1864, page 91.

General Grant evidently at first thought the conception a hazardous one, as well he might; and he said to Sherman : "If there is any other way to get at Hood's army, I would prefer that; but I must trust to your own judgment."

On the 11th of October, Grant telegraphed to Sherman as follows:

"CITY POINT, Va., October 11, 1864,-11. A. M.

"Your despatch of October 10th received. Does it not look as if Hood was going to attempt the invasion of Middle Tennessee, using the Mobile and Ohio, and Memphis and Charleston roads to supply his base on the Tennessee river, about Florence or Decatur? If he does this he ought to be met and prevented from getting North of the Tennessee river. If you were to cut loose, I do not believe you would meet Hood's army but would be bushwacked by all the old men, little boys, and such railroad guards as are still left at home. Hood would probably strike for Nashville, thinking that by going north, he could inflict greater damage upon us, than we could upon the rebels by going south. If there is any way of getting at Hood's army, I would prefer that; but I must trust to your own judgment. I find I shall not be able to send a force from here to act with you on Savannah. Your movements there

fore will be independent of mine; at least until the fall of Richmond takes place. I am afraid Thomas, with such lines of road as he has to protect, could not prevent Hood from going north. With Wilson turned loose, with all your cavalry, you will find the rebels put much more on the defensive than heretofore.

"Major Gen. W. T. SHERMAN."

"U. S. GRANT, Lieut. Gen'l.

On the 11th of October, Sherman telegraphed from Kingston, Georgia, to Grant as follows:

"Hood moved his army from Palmetto Station across by Dallas and Cedartown, and is now on the Coosa River, south of Rome. He threw one Corps on my road to Acworth, and I was forced to follow. I hold Atlanta with the Twentieth Corps, and have strong detachments along my line. This reduces my active force to a comparatively small army. We cannot remain here on the defensive. With the 25,000 men, and the bold cavalry he has, he can constantly break my roads. I would infinitely prefer to make a wreck of the road and of the country from Chattanooga to Atlanta, including the latter city-send back all my wounded and worthless, and with my effective army, move through

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