Sherman Orders the Burning of Atlanta
Saturday November 15, 2008
On November 15, 1864, General Sherman gave orders to burn all public buildings, machine shops, depots, and arsenals in Atlanta during the Civil War. While setting out for Savannah that same day Sherman stated, "Behind us lay Atlanta smoldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in the air and hanging like a ball over the ruined city."
Comments
SHERMAN’S WAY OF WAR WAS TO BRING THE WAR TO THE PEOPLE. PERHAPS OUR CURRENT LEADERS AND GENERALS COULD LEARN A LESSON FROM SHERMAN IN THEIR CANDY BOTTOM PROSECUTION OF THE IRAQI WAR
Sherman was a war criminal and a discrace. While marching through the south his people commited cold blooded murders, rapes and many other war crimes. If he were alive today, he would qualify for prosecution at The Hauge. No moral human being could respect his actions. His actions were simply that of a hominid. Unfortunately, our society still has a few homonids that can relate to someone like Sherman, or Lincoln for that matter.
Sherman’s march was an unjustifiable act and the very things that he told his troops to do he hung them for doing the same thing a mere two years earlier. He knew better (West Point taught him that these were war crimes) than to commit atrocities against civilians (both he and Sheridan) and should have been held accountable rather than applauded as a hero.
My it must be wonderful to have 20/20 hindsight 140 years later. Would these liberal mush minds judge an other culture today with the same standard they apply to another time/culture?
How easy it is to judge those fighting for their lives while while you are sitting in comfort. “Anything is possible for the man who does not have to do it.”
Some people seem to think that Sherman did the burning to kill people. That is far from the truth. When Sherman captured Atlanta he ordered all civilians to leave. He ordered that all military and government buildings be destroyed by fire. If one cuts off their enemy’s supplies, the enemy can no longer fight. This was Sherman’s motivation. His actions were a direct cause to shortening the war.
Isn’t it sad that so many of us have the ability to detect what is in another’s mind? Sherman had long determined to end this war. West Point taught him to cut off the enemy supply line and you win the war. Had he not accomplished this, who knows how long the war would have continued and for that matter how it would have ended. It might be that had he not taken such drastic steps, we would have slavery today. Granted, his strategy was drastic, but effective. These arm chair historians need to do a little more research before they accuse him of war crimes and inhumane atrocities.
General Sherman is not the monster people conceive him to be. He ordered the people of Atlanta to leave and THEN burned it down. He had to do this or else the war would have dragged on forever. He is part of the reason why the Union won the war.
Also, civilians were not raped and murdered like someone else here wrote.
this guy is so dumb. why is he going to burn down atlanta for. if that town has a lot of expensive stuff. someone crazy like him needs to be killed.
I think it was smart.destroying ur enemys supplys is a basic rule off war if he didn’t the war wud have raged on 4 years more.besides he ordered that all civilains evacuated so rlly he cud only b considered a criminal if he set fire 2 the city while it was full of ppl
personally, I think Sherman was a genius. From a military standpoint, burning Atlanta was brilliant. It destroyed supplies, artilary, and amunition in the largest supply city of the Confederate. It’s not like there were people in the city…he wasn’t cruel he was just proving a point.
When Sherman got to the city, many of the buildings were already on fire. This fires (like cotton) were set by the people to deprive the Army of supplies. Sherman only continued what was started. He did his job to end the war.
Sherman only continued what the people had started. The military values such as cotton were set fire by the city folk to deprive the Army of military supplies. He only added to the already job that was already under way. He was a soldier doing his job. War is HELL!
Gov. Brown had ordered the people to burn bridges and anything else the Yankee Army could take with them. Yes Sherman did burn building of military value and the fire spread, he and Brown share.
Gov. Brown had ordered the people of Atlanta to burn bridges and anything the Yankee Army could use or take with them. Sherman ordered the burning of anything that could aid the Southern Army. A little blame for each!
The Southern ‘Aristocracy’ was an oppressive class system that was built on the backs of the poor and the slaves and the war was fought for the benefit of those who lived at the top. Sherman brought their war home to them. The man was brilliant.
hominid refers to humans are you trying to say Sherman was just human and did as all humans would do. Can’t make out what you are trying to say!
Hay Aster;
Ever hear of Ft. Pillow?