[Maelstrom]

As opposed to burning them all down and not giving them the chance?

Without saying that either side was right to do such a thing, there really isn’t a moral equivalence.

[Non-Sequitur]

As opposed to burning them all down and not giving them the chance?

Well had those widows and everyone else ponied up the cash to cover the confederate extortion demands then nobody's house would have been burned. I suppose you want to blame them for that.