Posted on 03/28/2003 11:59:50 PM PST by SAMWolf
"Ten football fields measure 3,000 feet long."
Oops ... my mistake ... shall we say 3 1/2 football fields then. Still is a long way off from the precision achieved now. But the point is dumb bombs aren't precise, as the aiming of the Norden bombsight wasn't precise, there were too many f*cking variables when they bombed. But I never called the pilots war criminals, your buddy Non-Sequiter brought that anology into the fray.
What doesn't change are the way ground troops fight. "Total war" is the same thing today as it was in WW2, the War of Northern Aggression, back unto ancient times ... the killing of non-military as well as legitimate military targets. Why in the name of God, do you think they made the Geneva Convention, the Hauge Convention of 1910, and the Lieber Code of 1863?! To proscribe "acceptable and humane" rules of conduct in warfare! What Sherman did was to go beyond the bounds of those rules of the Lieber Code which strictly forbade making war on civilians. The self same rules that the United States Army and the tyrant Lincoln agreed to in 1863! So stop your damnYankee sanctimonious blathering about "the good soldier" Sherman ... he was a paid arsonist war criminal ... nothing more! he targeted NON-MILITARY CIVILIANS as well as military!
As for your replies about the secessionist being traitors, it shows how obtuse you are about history. I'm quite sure the Founding Fathers' were considered traitors by the British, however we call them patriots! You know the old saying "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
You'll not name a single civilian murdered on Sherman's order during the march to the Sea.
You'll find some CSA POW's executed to prevent this type of thing:
"Sir:
"I have the honor to report that I was with the command of Brevet Major- General Burbridge in the attack on Saltville, Va., October 2, 1864, and that I was left with the wounded and was captured October 3, and paroled by Major-General Breckinridge."
"I would state that on Monday morning, October 3, there came to our field hospital several armed men, as I believe soldiers in the Confederate service, and took 5 men, privates, wounded (negroes), and shot them."
"I would further state that on Friday evening, October 7, at Emory and Henry College Hospital, Washington County, Va., to which place our wounded had been removed, several armed men entered the said hospital about 10 p.m. and went up into the rooms occupied by the Federal wounded prisoners, and shot 2 of them (negroes) dead in their beds."
"I would further state that on Saturday, October 8, at Emory and Henry College Hospital, several armed men wearing the Confederate uniform, and, as I believe, soldiers in the Confederate service, entered the same hospital about 4 p.m., overpowered the guard that had been placed there by the surgeon in charge, and went up into the rooms occupied by the Federal wounded prisoners, and shot Lieut. E. C. Smith, Thirteenth Regiment Kentucky Cavalry, dead in his bed, where he lay severely wounded. They at the same time called out for the other Federal officers confined there, particularly Colonel Hanson, Thirty- Seventh Regiment Kentucky Volunteers, and Captain Degenfeld, Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, swearing that they intended to kill all of them; and I believe that they were only prevented doing so by the exertions of Surgeon Murfree, the surgeon in charge, the steward, Mr. Acres, and the other attendants of the hospital. I would also further state that Surgeon Murfree, the other surgeons, and the hospital attendants did all in their power, even at the risk of their lives, to prevent the perpetration of these outrages; and that they assisted in removing Colonel Hanson and Captain Degenfeld, as well as myself, to a place of safety."
"I would further state that we left about 70 of our wounded prisoners in the said hospital, and that I have been informed that these outrages have been perpetuated on them since we left there."
"Respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. GARDNER, Surgeon, Thirtieth Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry"
[Source: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. XXXIX, Part I, pp. 554-555.]
"Upon the capture of Plymouth by the rebel forces all the negroes found in blue uniform, or with any outward signs of a Union soldier upon him, was killed. I saw some taken into the woods and hung. Others I saw stripped of all their clothing and then stood upon the bank of the river with their faces riverward and there they were shot. Still others were killed by having their brains beaten out by the butt end of the muskets in the hands of the rebels. All were not killed the day of the capture. Those that were not were placed in a room with their officers, they (the officers) having previously been dragged through the town with ropes around their necks, where they were kept confined until the following morning, when the remainder of the black soldiers were killed."
"The regiments most conspicuous in these murderous transactions were the Eighth North Carolina and, I think, the Sixth North Carolina."
"SAMUEL (his x mark) JOHNSON. Witnessed by John L. Davenport, lieutenant and acting aide-de-camp. Sworn and subscribed to before me this 11th day of July, 1864. John Cassels, Captain and Provost- Marshal."
[Source: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series II, Vol. VII, pp. 459-460.]
You'll find nothing in the record like this regarding General Sherman or his men.
Walt
"Total War" as a concept pretty much includes warring on the civilians only since civilians could actively aid operations, and that by being the "backers-up" of war by working in war factories or whatever. Wars in the past typically have not involved "Regime Change" the way total war does now. When the Goths were sacking Rome, that wasn't total war, and it wasn't total war when Napoloen was attacking Russia. You might call the Punic Wars total war, but even that didn't involve warring on the people the way we've seen it since Sherman's time.
I'm sure you are aware that Hood planned to cross into Kentucky and practice some depredations of his own, but this pie-in-the-sky went wrong when he met a Virginian named Thomas.
Walt
Jim Robinson still letting you hang around, eh?
Where does it say that? Lieber code
furthermore, in your world, NO damnedyankee was EVER less than honorable,was ever hatefilled,self-righteous OR filth.
in the real world the bluebellies did MANY atrocities.
BTW, when are you going to admit that at least 15,000 CSA POWs were MURDERED in coldblood by those "oh, so wonderful & oh, so saintly" federals at just ONE yankee DEATH CAMP?
free dixie,sw
Those were the 15,000 that were deliberately drowned by those devil Yankee guards? Those that weren't shot in the back of the head, of course. I'll admit it when evidence is shown it happened. I suppose that evidence is available at the Lawrence History Museum, too? I'll have to look it up. </sarcasm>
in the world you live in, all the damnyankee war criminals were "honorable", no matter what the historical record says.
and all of the CSA soldiers, sailors & marines were dishonorable, because we southrons wanted to be FREE!
free dixie,sw
that's the first baby picture i've ever seen of a scalawag.
and to think all this time, i thought you'd look like a grown-up fool.
free dixie,sw
I'm still waiting for verifiable evidence of any kind from you.
do i have to take you to the site and let the ranger hand you numerous SKULLS with nearly identical .36 caliber holes in the right rear?
would you believe THEN?
my guess is NO to that too. you'd think up SOME REASON to say we rebs are wrong about that too.
those who don't want to believe, will do ANYTHING to continue to deny. damnyankees remind me of the post-WW2 german generation who are DESPERATELY trying to deny the Holocaust.
the post-WW2 deniers look STUPID, but no more so than the damnyankee REVISIONISTS.
free dixie,sw
Yeah, that would be a start. Especially since the most commonly issued sidearm in the Union army was a .44 caliber Colt or Remington revolver. The .36 caliber Navy Colt was more predominant in the southern army. Maybe they were suicides?
when you are guarding/abusing/torturing/murdering DEFENSELESS POWs, most any weapon will do. even a rock.
FRee dixie,sw
How convenient. I would ask for your supporting evidence but I'm sure it'll be some uncheckable, possibly ficticious source. BTW I thought at one time that you said most of the murdered POWs were drowned? when you are guarding/abusing/torturing/murdering DEFENSELESS POWs, most any weapon will do. even a rock.
Just ask the folks at Andersonville.
may i gently suggest that you call the museum curator @PLSP and ASK him.
TRUTH is you don't WANT to believe the UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH. accepting the truth will cause you to look at the damnyankee army in a new & MUCH different light;that you can't handle, imVho.
free dixie,sw
And no doubt they are part of an organized conspiracy to make sure that the TRUTH about Point Lookout is KEPT AWAY from THE public FOR THEIR OWN GOOD?
ONLY the desendents of the POWs care a damn. SAD but true.
there are SEVERAL books, including PORTALS TO HELL & TO DIE IN CHICAGO, that are well documented, but ignored.
free dixie,sw
there is furthermore the wish to turn one's face away from such a sad story, on the part of many people. there are others who would sooner not know; it is UNCOMFORTABLE to face the truth.
there is NO conspiracy, just UNCARING & WILLFUL ignorance.
FRee dixie,sw
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