So evil men took advantage of the chgaos of war? War is rough. Those criminals were no worse than similar criminals associated with the Confederate army. The only difference was that the Union army at least tried to supress Confederate criminals while the Confederate authorities cared so little for South Carolina that they let the Union army run amok. More evidence for the worthlessness of the Confederate cause and more evidence that the rebs in power cared more their wealth that for their people they were supposed to protect.
April 8th
The young man that was shot Friday was from Sumner but no one can find out his name. Mrs. A and W was going from Col. G. and me! I think carrying him out to the pines. They say he wore a look of calm despair. The Yankees pretended that they were tired and sat down on the side of the road but made the soldier stand in the pike: he stood with arms folded across his noble heart (for well I know he was a noble Southron and eyes bent toward the ground as a pale as death while the yankees taunted him with such remarks as ‘I will have his boots;’ another would name something that he would.
Surely you remember this old post of mine, Colonel.
To: 4CJ
Thanks for the information on the maltreatment of civilians by Union troops. They were mistreated out west as well. Here is a list of some Johnson Country, Arkansas women who were burned for the purpose of obtaining their money [Source: Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph, April 12, 1865]:
- Mrs Wiley Harris, burned and whipped severely
- Mrs. Major Thompson, burned head, arms, and hands
- Mrs. O. Wallace, knocked down and whipped severely
- Mrs. Susan Wallace, feet burned severely
- Mrs. S. J. Howell, burned from knees down; but little hopes of recovery
- Mrs. Emma May (mother-in-law), feet burned severely
- Mrs. L. N. C. Swagerty, feet burned severelyI was curious how this came about and looked in the Official Records. I found the following in Series I, Volume 48, Part II, page 79. My blood runs cold on reading it. [Paragraph breaks mine for readability]
OFFICE CHIEF PROVOST-MARSHALL, FIRST DISTRICT,
Center Point, Ark., March 8, 1865.
Major-General FAGAN:
GENERAL: Having just returned from Johnson County I write you in order to give you some knowledge of the ill treatment of some of your old friends, outrages committed by the Federal soldiery. After being robbed of all their household, wearing apparel, and subsistence, they are then a subject of search for money. Not being satisfied on searching their persons, they are taken from their beds and placed upon beds of fire and tortured for the purpose of getting money.
Aunt Tish (Mrs. Howel) was taken from her bed and burned so severely that there is but little hope of her recovery. All the flesh from below the knee of one leg has dropped off. Mrs. Susan Willis at the same time burned severely on the feet. Mrs. Wiley Harris burned by placing her head in the fire, and then whipped almost lifeless. Mrs. Major-Thompson burned on head, arms, and hands. I must yet tell you that Isbell, my wife, was taken from her bed and placed upon coals of fire, and after being burned severely was made to go in the damp of night some 400 yards to get money, and made to walk a part of the way with her feet all in a crisp, Isbell's mother remaining at the house suffering with like punishment.
Notwithstanding these outrages, that of still deeper infamy is now the suffering pangs at heart of some of the helpless ladies of Johnson.
Oh, general, the story is true, sad, and sickening. May god avenge their wrongs. These outrages cannot be placed upon any other than the U. S. soldiery. The deserters from the Federal army occupied the county some time previous to the Federals holding post, and did not commit these outrages.
Shall we suffer all this? Have we no spirit to avenge their wrong? I hope the soldiery of Johnson County will not forget the Federal Second Arkansas Regiment, Second Kansas, Fourteenth Kansas, Colonel G. M. Waugh, and Colonel Stephenson, that they may, if ever chance offers, mete out to them like reward.
Hoping that some measures may be adopted that will avert any further outrages, I am, general, as ever, your friend and obedient servant,
L. N. C. SWAGERTY.835 posted on 09/08/2007 12:45:46 AM CDT by rustbucket
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To this you posted a response [your bold below]:
To: rustbucket
But that's only half the story. The Union authorities condemned the crimes and sought justice:
HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS, Lewisville, Ark., March 6, 1865.
Respectfully referred to Brig. Gen. M. Jeff. Thompson, commanding Northern Sub-District of Arkansas, who will take such measures as he may deem necessary to have the perpetrators of these outrages brought to justice. He will communicate with the Federal commander at Clarksville and demand the men who are guilty of such inhuman outrages.
By command of Major-General Magruder,
M. M. KIMMEL,
Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.
---------------------------------
HEADQUARTERS, NORTHERN SUB-DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS,
Harrisburg, April 12, 1865.
Respectfully forwarded to the commanding officer of the Federal forces in Arkansas at Little Rock, with a request that he either punish these fiends or turn them over to the C.S. military authorities for punishment.
M. JEFF. THOMPSON, Brigadier-General, Commanding.
It was never the policy of the Union Army to commit such senseless crimes.
837 posted on 09/08/2007 6:44:21 AM CDT by Colonel Kangaroo (Only Duncan Hunter would inspire a tagline from me)
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I pointed out that I never said the Union didn't punish the men, and I then provided punishment details from the newspaper story. And, of course, I noted that you were citing the correspondence of two Confederate generals as evidence of the virtues of the Union army.