Gen. Sherman the chief among
savages, the captain among pirates, the leader of highwaymen, the prince among scoundrels and
brutes, and the foremost villain of the world.�24 However those stories fell on deaf ears.
Expecting the criticism, Sherman concluded a letter to General Halleck with this message:
21 Richard Wheeler, Sherman�s March, (New York: HarperPerennial, 1978), 48.
22 Mills Lane, ed., Marching Through Georgia, (New York: Arno Press, 1978), 106.
23 Richard Wheeler, Sherman�s March, (New York: HarperPerennial, 1978), 28.
24 America�s Historical Newspaper, �Richmond Sentinel on Sherman,� Daily Constitutional Union: September
16, 1864,
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/iwsearch/we/HistArchive?p_product=EANX&p_action=timeframes&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=U60V5AAWMTI2OD
E5NTgyMS44NzczMTM6MToxNDoxMzEuMjE2LjE2Mi40MA&p_clear_search=yes&d_refprod=EANX&
(accessed Mar 25, 2010).
9
"If the people raise a howl against my
barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not
popularity-seeking. If they want peace, they and their relatives must stop the war.�25 The
Southern cries did not receive sympathy from the North. As General Lee was engaged with
Grant around Richmond, the physical and psychological impact of Sherman�s presence could not
be denied. To many, the end was near.26
Fire and brimstone became the symbol of Sherman�s presence as he ordered the
destruction of the city as he marched out. David Conyngham, a New York Herald correspondent
who accompanied Sherman throughout the campaign, commented how the buildings of Atlanta
�fed the fiery element.�27 Foundries, factories, stores, courthouses, refineries, and many more all
fell under the torch. Fire was a quick and meaningful message to any and all Confederate forces
and supporters: the destruction and burning continued until the war ended. Many more cities
and villages suffered the same fate; Atlanta was the precursor to the Georgia and Carolina
campaigns.
