https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Letter_to_James_M._Calhoun,_et_al.,_September_12,_1864

Opinions on this letter? And opinions on the man?

TL;DR

But I like Sherman. Understood war, and didn't try to make it longer

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 the 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 shells and shot, to carry war into Kentucky and Tennessee, to 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.

I like this quote, it's perfect for modern America. We do feel very different when we are at the receiving end of the bullets. We easily jump into war at every chance we get, be it in Kosova, Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. But how does it feel when , because of our warring, it comes back to us and devastates us?

The dude knew how to end a war, cruel as his ways were. One of the only Union Generals with a mind to know what to do.

He kicked your arse, freed slaves and ended the war quicker. He deserves the federal government building a statue of him in the center of Richmond.

He helped fight a war of succession and aggression against the US, not a war of necessity like Sherman did.

It's not really a war of aggression when you're on the defense 95% of the time. I don't believe the South ever had any intents of conquering the north, they merely wanted to be separated. The North was definitely the aggressor party, having righteous reasons doesn't change that fact.

That said, I admire Sherman as a general and while I think his tactics were harsh he did what had to be done. At that point everyone was sick of war and I'm sure someone else would have went ham on the South if Sherman didn't.

At that point everyone was sick of war and I'm sure someone else would have went ham on the South if Sherman didn't.

Or if they were actually sick of war, storm Washington and shoot who ordered this war in the first site.

Or if they were actually sick of war, storm Washington and shoot who ordered this war in the first site.

That was attempted more than once I believe. And one person actually did, although the war was already over by then.

The confederates started the war, so storming Richmond and shooting Jefferson Davis would make more sense.

The Union started the war.

(you see, what we've entered is what we like to call a cyclical argument)

The confederates seceded, attack the Union first and were the first to try and attack the Union. They killed hundreds of folk for just having union leanings and not joining the confederates. The confederates were most definitely the aggressors. If America had not ended the civil war, then America would have just ended up as a divided perpetually civil-warring place. The Confederacy itself would have been even worse, with a aristocratic class that rules the confederacy, a economy dependent on a commodity which is quickly becoming less valuable, and a third of the population that's enslaved, and wants freedom. The best outcome was clearly the south losing as fast as possible so no more civil war would happen.

yes but the union provoked them.

Are you fucking kidding me? The union provoked the south by voting in a republican? Or merely not giving over a fort in South Carolina? Fuck off you Neo-Confederate Nazis.

The confederates seceded, attack the Union first and were the first to try and attack the Union. They killed hundreds of folk for just having union leanings and not joining the confederates.

The first parts are true. But what are you referring to with the "killed hundreds of folk"?

Just like the US caused their joining WW2 by revoking trade with Japan, practically declaring war by trade restrictions with Europe, supplying the UK, etc.

Well, that kind of is true. The real Smedley Butler warned against American aggression in the Pacific, that it would bite back at America, and "what if Japan paraded about its ships and tested new cannons off American shores?".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Massacre

George Washington is a great great great great great great grandpa of mine. for the next person that call me racist white.

Perfection.