interview with william sherman
General Sherman, why do you think hard war is necessary?
Hard war is very important for a battle. You need to have many tactics and strategies to conduct an army. When I won the Battle of Atlanta, I didn't leave the city in a good condition. Before leaving I burned the whole village. I wanted to show their government that my army is powerful, fast and that’s how we fight.
Why was South Carolina so important to win?
I was particularly interested in targeting South Carolina because it was the first state to secede from the Union and it will help with Southern morale.
Did you order burning the city of Columbia?
No, I wasn't the one who ordered to burn the city and I even helped stopped the fire. When I captured Columbia, fires began that night and the next morning the whole city was destroyed. People thaught the fires were accidental, others suppose it was an act of vengeance, and still others imagined that the retreating Confederates burned bales of cotton on their way out of town. Even though I wasn't the one who commanded to burn the city, I am not sorry for what happened.
Are you an Abolitionist?
I am not an abolitionist but, like the others, I don’t believe in Negro equality. Before the war started, I expressed some sympathy with the view of Southern whites that the black race was benefiting from slavery. Although I want slaves to learn how to read and write like others. I also want freed slaves and black refugees to own land on white landowners in South Carolina and Florida.
Why wouldn't you let freed slaves join your army?
I don’t want any black man in my army because once we are reunited, I want people to know that it is us, white man who put back together our country. I want no confusion that we won the war as white men.
Hard war is very important for a battle. You need to have many tactics and strategies to conduct an army. When I won the Battle of Atlanta, I didn't leave the city in a good condition. Before leaving I burned the whole village. I wanted to show their government that my army is powerful, fast and that’s how we fight.
Why was South Carolina so important to win?
I was particularly interested in targeting South Carolina because it was the first state to secede from the Union and it will help with Southern morale.
Did you order burning the city of Columbia?
No, I wasn't the one who ordered to burn the city and I even helped stopped the fire. When I captured Columbia, fires began that night and the next morning the whole city was destroyed. People thaught the fires were accidental, others suppose it was an act of vengeance, and still others imagined that the retreating Confederates burned bales of cotton on their way out of town. Even though I wasn't the one who commanded to burn the city, I am not sorry for what happened.
Are you an Abolitionist?
I am not an abolitionist but, like the others, I don’t believe in Negro equality. Before the war started, I expressed some sympathy with the view of Southern whites that the black race was benefiting from slavery. Although I want slaves to learn how to read and write like others. I also want freed slaves and black refugees to own land on white landowners in South Carolina and Florida.
Why wouldn't you let freed slaves join your army?
I don’t want any black man in my army because once we are reunited, I want people to know that it is us, white man who put back together our country. I want no confusion that we won the war as white men.
Letter To A family member
My Dearest Eleanor,
It has been a long time since I did not hear about you and my dearest children. I miss our home and wish to walk in the garden along with our 8 kids. I miss you a lot and I can't wait for seeing you all again.
We went down in the South with the Army. You may have heard that we took the city of Atlanta and that we burned it. It has been exhausting for the troops. We marched many days and night but we must put an end to the war. So I have decided to conduct "hard war" so that we put enormus pressure on the civilians as well as on federation army. I bet this War will be successful!
Last time I wrote to president Abraham Lincoln, I promised that I would go down as fast as possible to Georgia. I will take that city, then we will be able to forecast end of war. The enemy will be very impressed by our strenghts and willingness. I guess they will ask for peace thereafter. So it is critical I bring my troups as fast as possible. Although troups may be exhausted and starving some days, I do all my best to keep the morale high and make them proud about their achievements.
So I hope we will be in Georgia beginning of October. It means i will probably get home for christmas! Oh my dearest, you cannot imagine how this perspectives gives me some energy to wake up in the dark morning. Please tell the kids how much I frequently think about each of them. I cannot wait to take them in my arms again them. Tell the two oldest to take care of you and the youngest.
We will have one of our best christmas ever.
With all my Love,
General William Sherman
Civil War Song
Original Song:
Hard Tack, Come Again No More
Let us close our game of poker, take our tin cups in our hand
As we all stand by the cook's tent door
As dried monies of hard crackers are handed to each man.
O, hard tack, come again no more!
'Tis the song, the sigh of the hungry:
"Hard tack, hard tack, come again no more."
Many days you have lingered upon our stomachs sore.
O, hard tack, come again no more!
'Tis a hungry, thirsty soldier who wears his life away
In torn clothes--his better days are o'er.
And he's sighing now for whiskey in a voice as dry as hay,
"O, hard tack, come again no more!"
'Tis the wail that is heard in camp both night and day,
'Tis the murmur that's mingled with each snore.
'Tis the sighing of the soul for spring chickens far away,
"O, hard tack, come again no more!"
But to all these cries and murmurs, there comes a sudden hush
As frail forms are fainting by the door,
For they feed us now on horse feed that the cooks call mush!
O, hard tack, come again once more!
'Tis the dying wail of the starving:
"O, hard tack, hard tack, come again once more!"
You were old and very wormy, but we pass your failings o'er.
O, hard tack, come again once more!
-Anonymous
Hard Tack: Hard Tack was a cracker made with flour, water and salt. It was the only thing soldiers would during the Civil War because it wasn’t heavy and easy to carry in their bags. Salt in hard tacks was very important for soldiers, it kept them from fainting when they had long walks. The only problem was that salt made them thirsty so they wanted to drink a lot. Sometimes, when they didn’t have anymore water, they had to dink water from lakes but it wasn’t always good and drinkable, so it made them sick.
Thirsty soldier who wears their life away: People in the army knew that they had many chances to die while they were fighting. Some soldiers were also worrying because they were scared to die of hunger or thirst. They didn’t have much food and it was hard to have good water.
Lingered upon our stomachs sore: Soldier’s crackers always stayed in their bags. Everything was very dirty and insects would eat some of their food. When they ate their hard tacks sometimes insects were stuck in them. Soldiers didn’t notice so they ate their crackers and the insects that were in it. That made them sick and they would start having stomachaches.
The wail that is heard in camp both night and day: Soldiers would cry and complain because they didn’t want to be fighting in a war. They were scared and they missed their family and friends. Some soldiers would suffer because they were sick and they ate too many hard tacks that were not good;
Song:
Food come on good food
Three days of walking,
No time for eating'
And no water for drinking,
Food come on good food.
Hard tack makes me sore,
We don't want more'
And stop the battle,
Food come on good food.
We have nothing to eat,
Not even a bit of meat'
It makes me sick.
Food come on good food.
We want to go home in a bed,
And eat some nice good bread'
This is making me go dead,
Food come on good food.
Three days of walking,
No time for eating'
And no water for drinking,
Food come on good food.
Three days of walking,
No time for eating'
And no water for drinking,
Food come on good food.
Hard tack makes me sore,
We don't want more'
And stop the battle,
Food come on good food.
We have nothing to eat,
Not even a bit of meat'
It makes me sick.
Food come on good food.
We want to go home in a bed,
And eat some nice good bread'
This is making me go dead,
Food come on good food.
Three days of walking,
No time for eating'
And no water for drinking,
Food come on good food.
Work Cited
Books:
Kay Meldeisedech Olson. The Terrible, Awful Civil War. Minnesota: Capstone, 2010. Print.
Zachary Kent. The Civil War. USA: Enslow, 1994. Print.
WebPath Express:
American Experience. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://webpath.follettsoftware.com/resource/viewurl?encodedUrl=q_rO5p7-EdwTrLQWtutQRLfeM5O1e4QEWihmL2O1lEw&version=1&appsignature=Destiny&appversion=11.0.4.0+%28RC4%29>.
Website:
"Civil War Trust." William T. Sherman. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/william-t-sherman.html>.