It is difficult to impossible to remain impartial when reading much of the material A woman, alone with her children on a farm in rural Georgia stands in her yard with the children and watched the Union troops make off with every bit of food stuff on the place and then they torch her house. She may not have even gotten word that she was now a widow. It didn't matter. The Union report may say the food was intended for the Confederate troops and they believe she had harbored some Confederate soldiers.
The truth may well be there was not enough food for her to feed her family for a week. Her place was so isolated she hadn't seen a 'soldier' from either side until the Union troops came banging on her door. Guess who will be the 'source' the historian uses. I'd place my bet on the OR and I don't believe it would be quite accurate.
It all boils down to who you want to believe. Impartial researchers don't write too often on this one war. Can't remain impartial for long. That's the real tragedy of that moment in time and the after effects.

Pam