Our victorious march from Chattanooga to Atlanta, was a military
operation, whose successful close would have turned the heads of the
French. It was made through a country presenting great natural
obstacles, sufficient to deter a general of average qualities, and these
natural defences the enemy had strengthened by a series of remarkable
works, before each of which some generals would have paused to lay
siege. But our leader, with the soldiers under his command, proved equal
to every emergency, and the campaign ended with glory to our arms.
Immediately after occupying Atlanta, Gen. Sherman posted the Army of the
Tennessee, in the neighborhood of East Point; the Army of the Ohio, at
Decatur, and retained the Army of the Cumberland to hold the city. Thus
stationed we were permitted to enjoy the rest we so greatly needed.
Although nearly all the inhabitants of Atlanta, whose circumstances
permitted them to go, had left that city previous to its occupation by
the Federal forces, yet a great many remained both by choice and
necessity. It was determined to make a grand military post of Atlanta,
and as one of the first measures to this end, General Sherman directed
that all non-combatants must leave the city at once. He knew that the
inhabitants of Atlanta could not subsist long in the city without the
aid of the Government, and his line of communications was too long and
precarious to permit him to divide the rations of his soldiers with
citizens. He therefore issued an order commencing thus: "The city of
Atlanta being exclusively for warlike purposes, will at once be vacated
by all, except the armies of the United States, and such civilian
employes as may be retained by the proper department of the Government."
This order may appear to be harsh and vindictive, yet it was not only
justifiable, but absolutely necessary. The mayor and two members of the
city council of Atlanta, petitioned General Sherman to revoke it, to
which petition he made the following reply, than which a more noble
defense of his order, could not be made. As this letter of General
Sherman's seems to us to be of more than common interest, and as it will
undoubtedly be highly interesting to the reader who scans these pages,
we will insert it here:
Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi
In the field, Atlanta, Ga., September 12, 1864.
James M. Cahoun, Mayor; E. E. Rawson and S. C. Wells,
representing City Council of Atlanta, 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 gave 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, outside of
Atlanta, have a deep interest. We must have _peace_, not only in
Atlanta, but in all America. To secure this, we must stop the war
that now desolates our once favored and happy 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 warlike purposes is inconsistent with its character as a
home for families. There will be no manufactures, 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 until 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 until the war is over. I can not discuss this subject with you
fairly, because I cannot impart to you what I propose to do; but I
assert that my military plans make it necessary for the inhabitants
to go away, and I can only renew my offer of services to make the
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 until 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 usages of
war, I and this army become at once your protectors and supporters,
shielding you from danger, let it come from what 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 upon war, and its desolation. You might as well
appeal against the thunderstorm, 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 horses, or your houses, or your lands, 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 repeat 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, etc.,
etc., 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 part of 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 the families of
rebel soldiers left on our hands, and when we could not see them
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 peace at their
old 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 and 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
homes and your families against danger from every quarter. Now you
must go, and take with you the old and feeble, feed them and nurse
them, and build for them, in more quiet places, proper habitations
to shield them against the weather, until the mad passions of war
cool down, and allow the Union and peace once more to settle on your
old homes at Atlanta.
Yours in haste.
W. T. SHERMAN,
Major General.