[Non-Sequitur]

It may been a bit of hyperbole on Lincoln's part but it would also have depended on the situation. Take Vicksburg, for example. Grant had little choice but to shell sections of the city since the confederate army chose to hole up there. Had confederate troops taken over Baltimore or Annapolis, very real possibilities, extreme measures could have been called for.

[wasp69]

Grant had little choice but to shell sections of the city since the confederate army chose to hole up there. Had confederate troops taken over Baltimore or Annapolis, very real possibilities, extreme measures could have been called for.

Agreed, sir. Having enemy troops holed up and shooting back at you in a time of war from a city is another ballgame entirely and I personally think justification could be made in that case. Hyperbole or not, that was an order from the President to his Commanding General and there were no hostile armies in those population centers at that time.