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So far, this book has told about a specific colonel, Colonel Turchin, who was responsible for setting his troops free to rape, pillage, and plunder women and children in the South. In other words, terrorize. When these atrocities were discovered by another, a court martial began. And in the process of a court martial, Lincoln promoted the man. One can only surmise...was it to carry out these atrocities on a much grander scale? That would be my guess.

I'm sure the Kennedy boys would want you to believe that as well. I'm familiar with Turchin's career. Tell me, were these actions supposed to have taken place during Sherman's march?

I surmised this because I read in my own research that General Garfield(yes, before Presidential times) was also promoted and sent off to Washington for questionnable behavior.

The questionable behavior you're thinking of must have been his election to Congess in 1862. Prior to that his service had been very distinguished, rising from regimental commander to brigade commander to corps chief-of-staff under Rosecrans.

No. And that's the beauty of it all. It was right upon war's beginning. The court martial business began in July of 1861, and them Northern boys gave all their fellow soldiers entirely too much lee-way regarding atrocity committers. So when a Northern boy starts griping about atrocities, it's all much more horrendous than is fit to be heard...

"The questionable behavior you're thinking of must have been his election to Congess in 1862. Prior to that his service had been very distinguished, rising from regimental commander to brigade commander to corps chief-of-staff under Rosecrans."

No. That is not the questionnable behavior being referred to. However, I do recall reading something about him being in Washington, and no one could stand him, so they sent him to the field. But no one could stand him there either, so they sent him back. And, I do not consider General Rosecrans to be the shiniest marble. In my opinion, Rosecrans was a deceitful, little brat, so anyone under his command would be equally deceitful.

Anyway, the first time I came across Garfield's name, was regarding a hanging and a drum-head court martial in June of 1863, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Garfield had a hidden-agenda with this one. And, there was so much shuffling and erasing and fudging of documents, that I wouldn't believe Garfield had a shiny career under any circumstances.