Brief Thoughts on Sherman

As I keep mentioning, I'm currently reading W.T. Sherman's memoirs. They are excellent. I've just reached what has to be the most interesting thing in them yet (even more interesting than his stories about California before and during the gold rush, which were awesome). Sherman reprints in full a four way exchange of letters between himself and Halleck (who was Sherman's superior, stationed in Washington DC, and therefore the voice of what the president et al wanted) on the one hand, and between Sherman, Confederate general J.B. Hood, and the mayor of Atlanta on the other hand. Sent just after the fall of this city, I think I could probably write a book on the intricacies of these 10 pages or so of letters, which contain some of the most famous Sherman quotes of the war (multiple passages that were familiar to me). It's great to get to read the entire exchange in full, and it speaks to a lot of issues that I think we still face - in particular, a question I think echoes through the last one hundred and fifty years - whose fault was it, really, that the war took place?

Being a northern girl meself - raised in NYC, and a descendant of a (granted rather pathetic) Union soldier - I'm inclined to think that Sherman has the right in these letters, and that the South is to blame. Indeed, from the point of view of a historian, despite my biases, I find it difficult to see how any other case could be made. Reading Hood's letters to Sherman feels like reading the first salvos of the battle that starts after the war, and ends in the development of the "Lost Cause" mythos that still drives so many Southerners even today.

I'd love to get the opinions of my friends on this matter, but I haven't the time or energy to go into the depth that would really be necessary to elucidate the many layers of this - like I said, I think I could write an entire book about it and still not really do it justice. Deep stuff. And still very relevant.

Dispatches from the Front

My internet is down again, so I'll keep this short - more great buts from the memoir. Confederate French commands 4k to 5k men, surrounds Union Corse, commanding under 2k. Sends thus message:
"I have placed the forces under my command in such positions that you are surrounded, and to avoid a needless effusion of blood I call on you to surrender your forces at once, and unconditionally. ... I have the honor to be, very respectfully yours, S. G. French."

The reply:
"Your communication demanding surrender of my command I acknowledge receipt of, and respectfully reply that we are prepared for the 'needless effusion of blood' whenever it is agreeable to you. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, John M. Corse"

Corse ended up getting shot in the face, but he survived, and his troops forced French's withdrawl.