[LS]

As I document in my forthcoming book, "America's Victories: Why Americans Win Wars and Will Win the War on Terror," it was GRANT who issued orders to shut down Nashville papers and to arrest any editors who were still printing anti-Union stuff. I can't find if his generals acted on his orders, though.

Robert E. Lee would have liked to have arrested all the editors. He commented sarcastically something to the effect that the South was stupid, sending its best genearals to head up papers, and its editors to lead armies. Likewise, Napoleon said a hostile editor was more to be feared than a thousand enemy soldiers.

[detsaoT]

Robert E. Lee would have liked to have arrested all the editors.

I am a huge admirer of your work, Sir, and even though I may be a crusty ol' Southerner (and may disagree with you on some issues), please don't take what I say the wrong way. I do hold you in the highest esteem! With that in mind,

I'd say that there's a big difference between would have liking to arrest all of the editors hostile to the war efforts, and actually succeeding in doing so. Would you not agree?

Are there any examples of the Confederate government locking away newspaper editors for the duration of the war? I've done a bit of reading in Mr. Davis' account of the war, and a few other volumes on the topic, and while I've seen him express sorrow at the anti-war sentiments being presented by newspapermen (and even on occasion, Confederate Senators), I am not aware that any effort was ever made to imprison them. Am I mistaken? Have I missed a resource that documents that?

I've run across a handful of examples of the imprisonment of editors by the Union forces, and while some of them were arrested for bringing "anti-war" sentiments to print, many more were arrested for merely suggesting that the Confederates may have a point in their endeavors. Was the North justified in doing so? (Is that a question you plan to explore in your upcoming work? I'll definitely be watching for it on Amazon!)

(Also, while the orders to arrest these Northern editors may have prima facie been issued by a "mere" General, many of them are rooted in orders coming from the War Department (namely, the Sec'y of War) in Washington City. Am I mistaken in reading the historical record that way?)

As always, it is my most humble pleasure to be able to speak directly with such a renowned scholar as yourself. I will continue to consider you,

With warmest regards,
~dT~

[Casloy]

it was GRANT who issued orders to shut down Nashville papers and to arrest any editors who were still printing anti-Union stuff.

And rightly so, there is no such thing as freedom of the press when you are occupying your enemy's territory.