[Non-Sequitur]

Actually the quote also claimed 'no wanton destruction of private property' which was disproved by the destruction of the iron smelter and the houses of the workers. There are other accounts of looting and destruction supported by the letters of the confederate soldiers who witnessed it.

Lee's troops behaved much better in the North than Northern troops in the South.

The fact that the destruction visited on the North was far less than that visited on the South is indeniable. Lee and his army spent very little time in the North. And in many cases, such as in Georgia and in the Valley, the destruction of goods and facilities that benefitted the confederate war effort was done to deny those resources to Lee's army. But the claim that the individual actions of the soldiers was 'much better' is debatable.

[rustbucket]

Were the houses of the iron workers destroyed or just looted? Quoting from your earlier post, "Early's men also looted the homes of the workers employed at the smelter."

The iron mill was destroyed by the orders of General Early. That was a military target. It was only a side benefit that it was owned by Thaddeus Stevens.