And Confederate troops tended to execute black Union prisoners en masse when they could. Isn't that a "war crime"? Were Lemay and "Bomber" Harris war criminals? They burned out entire cities filled with civilian women and children.
I've known enough people with your outlook to understand you're not open to persuasion. But if Sherman was a "war criminal" then there will not be any generals in any war for whom the title couldn't be applied.
Youve got a lot of nerve making a reasonable argument on a Civil War thread.
(All kidding aside, good post there.)
Your criticisms of Southern actions are valid. Both sides bombed cities - valid if they resisted.
Sherman was spotty when it came to dealing with murder of civilians.
What makes him a war criminal was his waging war against unresisting civilians. He stole anything of value and burned everything else, houses, stock, crops, barns - everything. This was a slow death sentence to hundreds of families.
His conduct, especially at that time and in that war, was outrageous and criminal. Was he the only bad actor? No.