War is rough on civilians. But you are mistaken if you don’t think Confederates were guilty of the same excess. I know of a nice story of a Confederate colonel (no doubt a Southern gentlemen) attempting to choke an elderly citizen of McDonald, Tennessee to death over a horse. The responsibility of loosing this mayhem on the nation rests with the geniuses who thought it a great idea to tear the nation apart so they could take their human property into the territories.
True enough, but one side, the Southern Officers were trying to keep good order and discipline as opposed to ignoring or condoning atrocity like the Yankee Zero's did.
An army made up of drunken Irishmen can't be faulted to much when so poorly officered. So bad, that Yankee Army units were half the size of Southern units due to this incompetence.
I agree.
I know of a nice story of a Confederate colonel (no doubt a Southern gentlemen) attempting to choke an elderly citizen of McDonald, Tennessee to death over a horse.
Many of these types of stories in every state I would suspect. Check out some Arkansas history from the period. The AR/MO Ozarks didn't come by the name, "No Man's Land" without good reason. I have long consisered myself fortunate that my ancestors survived it..... so that I get to be here:)
The responsibility of loosing this mayhem on the nation rests with the geniuses who thought it a great idea to tear the nation apart so they could take their human property into the territories.
This is where I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Human property is vile however, the states had every right to secede.