George, that is probably the most pertinent part of all. The Confederates were fighting on their own turf. They were, at times, fighting at the location of their family or relatives. There are cases that show the Confederates did burn things that could have been useful to the enemy but for the most part, they were not the 'bent on destrucion' bunch that we have seen in Sherman. In my area the Confederates burned the sawmills and some of the ships that were under construction and a few that were mostly finished. The citizens and homes were left alone. There was one home that caught fire from a mill but it was not intentional. We have also seen the orders from Lee on the treatment of civilians even in Pennsylvania. I just do not believe there would have been as much destrucion of civilian property had we been in the North more often.

Had the South won, I do wonder if Sherman would have been hung. He seems to be the one catching the most flack. True, it is in my opinion well deserved, but I'm not sure I'd go for hanging. He was a soldier following orders.

Pam