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To: PeaRidge

Up to you. Post as many as you want.


229 posted on 04/28/2007 5:58:26 AM PDT by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
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To: Ditto
Well, where to begin. I suppose you are of the “If you cannot name all the deceased on the Titanic, then it did not happen” school of logic.

Let’s begin with one that you did not question:

(To)Brigadier General Watkins:

Cannot you send over to Fairmount and Adairsville, burn ten or twelve houses of known secessionists, kill a few at random, and let them know that it will be repeated every time a train is fired on from Resaca to Kingston?

W.T. Sheman
Major-General

OR, Series I, Volume 39 (Part III), p. 494

Are we to believe that the orders were carried out?

If so, that is your first “few”.

Did killing of innocent civilians occur? Of course it happened. As documented here:

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/cumberland/military/shermn01.txt

“Much has been written about Sherman’s march and one of the best books is The Civil War in North Carolina by John G. Barrett. Only bits and pieces however have been published about events in Sampson County.

The fame of Sherman’s Army in Georgia and South Carolina preceded his arrival in North Carolina by some time.

Their acts of destruction in South Carolina were justified by Sgt. David Floyd of the 75th Indiana, “The march through South Carolina had left a track of desolation more than forty miles wide. That states special guilt in taking
the initiative in secession was assumed by officers and men as justification of its devastation. The responsibility does not rest upon us”. (25:372)

Columbia had been sacked and burned and North Carolina braced itself for the hell to come. At that time nearly all men from sixteen to fifty years of age were away in the army and that left mainly women and children to face the
terror of the invading army.

At times about ten percent of Sherman’s army of several thousand were sent out as foragers to sack every farm, home, or store in their forty mile path.

If allowed, the foragers would move out far in front of the main columns as they were eager to get the first pickings.

Soon after crossing the North Carolina border James C. Bennett of Anson County met “Sherman’s Bummers” (foragers) when they took his money, watch, and other valuables.

Later in the day, another group came by and shot Bennett
because he had nothing left to steal. (51:33)

289 posted on 05/01/2007 2:10:15 PM PDT by PeaRidge
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To: Ditto

I think you also asked about rape documentation?

Here, from military documents, are the names of Union troops executed for rape:

Dawson Thomas, 32, b.ireland, laborer, pvt, Co H, 20th Mass., hanged at Stevensburg (Va) 20 april 1864 for desertion and rape of Mrs Frances West (60) near Morrisville (Va)

Geary Daniel, 18, pvt, co G, 72nd NY Vol. / Gordon Ransom S. 23, pvt, Co E, 72nd NY vol. both hanged 15 july 1864 for the rape of Mrs Mary Stiles (b.1835, married, 2 children, seamstress) near Prince george Courthouse (Va) on the night of 18 june.

Preble James, 22, b.Batavia (NY), pvt, co K, 12 NY cav., shooted at Goldsboro (NC) 31 march 1865 for attempted rape on Mrs Rebecca Drake (23) and Miss Louise Jane Bedard, her cousin (17) and rape of Miss Letitia Craft her aunt (58) near Kingston (NC) on the afternoon of 16 march 1865.

Sperry Charles, 29, b. Ireland, printer, sgt, co E, 13th NY cav., executed in Old Capitol prison, Washington DC, 3 march 1865 for attempted rape of Miss Annie Nelson (15) in Fairfax county (Va) in the night of 18 june 1864.

Catlett Alfred, 20, from Richmond (Va), farmer, pvt, co E, 1st heavy Art. USCT / Colwell Alexander, 26, farmer from NC, pvt same unit / Turner Charles, 18, farmer from Charleston (SC), pvt same unit / Washington Jackson, 22, farmer from NC, pvt co K same unit / The four was shooted at Asheville (NC) 6 may 1865 for the gang rape of “a young white woman” (in OR S1 vol XLIX part II).

Brooks Dandridge, 22, driver, b.Va, sgt, Co G, 38th USCT / Jackson William, 24, laborer, b Va, cpl co G, 38th USCT / Sheppard John, 20, laborer, b Va, cpl co I, 38th USCT / hanged at Brownsville (Tx) 30 july 1865 (Sheppard 13 october) for the gang rape of Miss Eliza Harriet Woodson (14) and Mrs Fannie Crawford near Richmond (Va) during the night of 11 april 1865. The 38th USCT was transfered to Texas where the three men was executed. A fourth was never seized.

Cook (or Cork) John Wesley, 23, b Wilmington (Del), laborer, pvt co B 55th Mass. inf. colored / Llyod Spencer, 21, b Wilmington, pvt same unit / Smith John M., 21, b Maine, pvt co A same unit / all hanged 18 february 1864 at Camp Shaw near Jacksonville (Fa) for the gang rape of Mrs Sarah Hammonds from Cedar Creek near Jacksonville in the morning of 17 february 1864. A fourth rapist was in the gang : Baker Wallace, 19, b Kentucky, farmer, co I same unit. Not identified during the rape but shooted at Folly island (SC) on 18 june 1864 for mutiny.

Gripen (or Gripon) James, 20, b SC, pvt co F 104rd USCT / Redding Ben (or Rudding Benjamin), b SC, farmer, pvt co D same unit / Leaders of a plunderer and rapist gang, hanged at Hilton Head (SC) 20 or 21 november 1864 for the rapes of Miss Eusebia Heape in the night of 17 august 1864 at McPhersonville (SC), Miss Florence Mew and Mrs Mary E.McTier on 19 august. The others members of the gang escaped justice.


290 posted on 05/01/2007 2:14:43 PM PDT by PeaRidge
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