Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have not read the book but let me note a couple of points. A commander must be prudent in what he says because he sets the tone with his troops and command on what is and is not expectable behavior and what is done or not done. When a commander makes statements such as "make Georgia howl", and "war is hell and you can not change it" he is sending a message to his troops whether intentional or not.

Did Sherman deal with those troops that did rape, pillage, or plunder by the utilization of the military justice system of the time? Did he relieve commanders who failed to enforce his orders? That would take a chunk of research but that would be a quantifiable measure if Uncle Billy were sincere in his orders being enforced. Was the earth scorched from Atlanta to the sea? Probably not. Was Sherman kinder and gentler commander than what history and himself has portrayed him? Probably not.

Was the South “moonlight and magnolias”? Oh no! “Gone with the Wind” I believe has done more damage to the image of the South than it has helped. Everyone believes we all owned slaves and fought for its preservation.

Much more research needs to be done on the War Between the States. Unfortunately, we are few in number who are willing to burn our eyes out from staring at the microfilm for hours, search around dusty stacks of diaries, memoirs, letters, and books to obtain a first person perspective of the events of those times rather than regurgitate someone elses interpretation of events.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
Niota, Tennessee
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Infantry Regiment
Web Master: http://39thGAVOLINFRGT.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html