Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 29.djvu/122

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106 Southern Historical Society Papers.

order sent to Mr. Adam Harper, a man 82 years old, and a cripple, one who had served as a soldier in the war of 1812, and who was a son of a revolutionary soldier, who had served throughout that war, which was as follows:

"Mr. ADAM HARPER:

"SiR, In consequence of certain robberies which have been committed on Union citizens of this county, by bands of guerrillas, you are hereby assessed to the amount of ($285.00) two hundred and eighty-five dollars, to make good their losses, and upon your failure to comply with the above assessment by the 8th day of De- cember, the following order has been issued to me by General R. H. Milroy:

' ' You are to burn their houses ', seize all their cattle and shoot them. You will be sure that you strictly carry out this order. You will inform the inhabitants for ten or fifteen miles around your camp, on all the roads approaching the town upon which the enemy may ap- proach, that they must dash in and give you notice, and upon any one failing to do so, you ivill burn their houses and shoot the men.

" By order of Brigadier-General R. H. Milroy.

" H. KELLOG, Captain Commanding Post."

Could the most brutal savagery of any age exceed the unreason- ing cruelty of this order.

(See i So. His. Society Papers, p. 231.)

GENERAL SHERMAN'S CONDUCT.

But we must go on. In the earlier part of the war, General Wil- liam T. Sherman knew and recognized the rules adopted by his government for the conduct of its armies in the field; and so, on September 29, 1861. he wrote to General Robert Anderson, at Louis- ville, Ky. , saying, among other things:

" I am sorry to report, that in spite of my orders and entreaties, our troops are committing depredations that will ruin our cause. Horses and wagons have been seized, cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens taken by our men, some of whom wander for miles around. I am doing, and have done, all in my power to stop this, but the men are badly disciplined and give little heed to my orders or those of their own regimental officers."

(See Sherman's Raid, by Boyntort, page 23.)