Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/442

 General Shermans Method of Makiny War. 441

tained in the document under consideration. General Sherman has never shrunk from any responsibility for his actions. The genuine recollections and experiences of men and women in tHat exciting and passionate time are legitimate and useful matters for publication, even when they reveal things which, in the cooler days of reason and law, everyone must regret, if not condemn Inter arma, silent leges. Till men become perfect, war will be full, always, of crudest outrages. When they do become perfect, there will be no war. So far as it may help to restrain men's passions or ambitions, and lead to the adoption of better methods for redressing wrongs, real or fancied, than killing and robbery which all war is, in its last analysis every tale of suffering, privation, injury, spoliation, may prove useful, and so its publication justifiable. But when, as certainly seems the case in this instance, nothing but the provocation and perpetuation of ill- feeling and bitterness can result, I submit that a periodical of the character of the SOUTHERN HISTORICAL PAPERS might as I am happy to see it does, in most instances find better material than re- printing from obscure newspapers, matter which throws no real light on any single act or motive during the whole of the great contest.

Your periodical is taken by a society of which I am a member, but I did not happen to see the March number earlier, or I should have earlier written you. I do not write now for publication though to that I have no objection but simply to give you the facts, and let your own sense of justice decide what you will do. Very respectfully yours,

HENRY STONE,

Late Brevet- Colonel U. S. Volunteers, and A. A. G. Army of the Cumber/and.

We are frank to admit that Colonel Stone seems to make out his case against the authenticity of this letter, and we regret having re-

published it.

But as showing the method and spirit in which General conducted his campaigns, we reproduce the following from the Southern Magazine of May, 1873:

GLEANINGS FROM GENERAL SHERMAN'S DESPATCHES.

Those thick, loosely-bound octavos, printed on soft and rather dingy paper, which Congress publishes and distributes under name of Public Documents, are not generally cons'dered very e