ARMY OPERATIONS. 



89 



Atlanta, is received. You say therein : " I deem it to 

 be to the interest of the United States that the citi- 

 zens residing in Atlanta should remove," etc. I do 

 not consider that I have any alternative in the mat- 

 ter. I therefore accept your" proposition to declare a 

 truce of ten davs, or such time as may be necessary 

 to accomplish the purpose mentioned, and shall ren- 

 dev all the assistance in my power to expedite the 

 transportation of citizens in this direction. 1 suggest 

 that a staff officer be appointed by you to superintend 

 the removal from the city to Rough and Ready, while 

 I appoint a similar officer to control their removal 

 further south ; that a guard of 100 men be sent by 

 cither party, as you propose, to maintain order a't 

 that place ; and that the removal begin next Monday. 



And now, sir, permit me to say that the unprece- 

 dented measure you propose, transcends in studied 

 and ingenious cruelty all acts ever before brought to 

 my attention in the dark history of war. 



"in the name of God and humanity I protest, be- 

 lieving that YOU will find you are expelling from their 

 homes and firesides the wives and children of a brave 

 people. 



I am, General, very respectfullv, your obedient 

 servant, J. B. H~OOD, General. 



Official: Me A. HCMMETT, Lieutenant, etc. 



Accompanying the above letter was one ad- 

 dressed to Col. Calhoun, Mayor of Atlanta, as 

 follows : 



HEADQUARTESS ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE. ) 

 September 9,'1S64. ) 

 Hon. James Jf. Calhoun, Mayor : 



SIB : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 

 of your letter touching the removal of the citizens of 

 Atlanta, as ordered by Gen. Sherman. Please find 

 inclosed my reply to Gen. Sherman's letter. I shall 

 do all in my power to mitigate the terrible hardships 

 and misery that must be brought upon your people 

 by this extraordinary order of the Federal com- 

 mander. Transportation will be sent to Rough and 

 Ready to carry the people and their effects further 

 South. 



You have my deepest sympathy in this unlocked 

 for and unprecedented affliction. 



I am, sir, verv respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 J.'B. HOOD, General. 



The following is Gen. Sherman r s reply to 

 Gen. Hood : 



HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 

 IN THE FIELD, ATLANTA, GA., Sept. 10, IS&i. j 



Gen. J. . Hood, Commanding Army of the Tennes- 

 see, Confederate Army : 



GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the 

 receipt of vour letter of this date at the hands of 

 Messrs. Ball and Crew, consenting to the arrange- 

 ments I had proposed to facilitate the removal south 

 of the people of Atlanta, who prefer to go in that di- 

 rection. I inclose you a copy of my orders, which 

 will, I am satisfied, accomplish'mv purpose perfectly. 

 You style the measure proposed "unprecedented,"" 

 and appeal to the dark history of war for a parallel as 

 an act of "studied ungenerous cruelty." It is not 

 unprecedented ; for Gen. Johnston 'himself very 

 wisely and properly removed the families all the way 

 from Dalton down, and I see no reason why Atlanta 

 should be excepted. Nor is it necessary to appeal to 

 the dark history of war, when recent and modern ex- 

 amples are so handy. You, yourself, burned dwell- 

 ing-houses along your parapet, and I have seen to- 

 day fifty houses that you have rendered uninhabita- 

 ble, because they stood in the way of your forts and 

 men. 



You defended Atlanta on a line so close to the 

 town, that every cannon-shot, and many musket- 

 ghots from our line of intrenchments, that overshot 

 their mark, went into the habitations of women and 

 children. Gen. Hardee did the same at Jonesboro, 

 and Gen. Johnston did the same, last summer, at 



Jackson, Miss. I have not accused you of heartless 

 cruelty, but merely instance those cases of verv re- 

 cent occurrence, and could go on and enumersite 

 hundreds of others, and challenge any fair man to 

 judge which of us has the heart of pity for the fami- 

 lies of "brave people." I say it is a kindness to 

 those families of Atlanta to remove them now at onco 

 from scenes that women and children should not bo 

 exposed to ; and the brave people should scorn to 

 commit their wives and children to the rude barba- 

 rians, who thus, as you say, violate the laws of war, 

 as illustrated in the'pages'of its dark history. 



In the name of common sense, I ask you not to ap- 

 peal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner you 

 who, in the midst of peace and prosperity, have 

 plunged a nation into civil war, "dark and cruel 

 war," who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted 

 our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that were left 

 in the honorable custody of a peaceful Ordnance 

 Sergeant, seized and made prisoners of war the very 

 garrisons sent to protect your people against negroes 

 and Indians, long before any overt act was committed 

 by the "to you hateful Lincoln government, tried 

 to force Kentucky and Missouri into the rebellion 

 in spite of themselves, falsified the vote of Louisiana. 

 turned loose your privateers to plunder unarmed 

 ships, expelled" Union families by the thousand, burn- 

 ed their houses, and declared by act of Congress the 

 confiscation of all debts due Northern men for goods 

 had and received. Talk thus to the marines, but not 

 to me who have seen these things, and will this day 

 make as much sacrifice for the peace and honor of 

 the South as the best-born Southerner among you. 

 If we must be enemies, let us be men, and fight it out 

 as we propose to-day, and not deal in such hypocriti- 

 cal appeals to God and humanity. God will judge me 

 in good time, and He will pronounce whether it be 

 more humane to fight with a town full of women, and 

 the families of a "brave people" at our backs, or to 

 remove them in time to places of safety among their 

 own friends and people. 



I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 " W. T. SHERMAN, Maj.-Gen. Com'g. 



The following is the truce agreed upon be- 

 tween the two generals : 



HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION- MI-SI-^IPPI, 

 Ix THE FIELD, ATLAXTA, GA., Sc^t. 10, IsGi j 



Special Field Order Xo. TO. 



1. Pursuant to an agreement between Gen. J. B. 

 Hood, commanding the Confederate forces in Geor- 

 gia, and Maj.-GenTW. T. Sherman, commanding this 

 Army, a truce is hereby declared to exist from day- 

 light of Monday, September 12, until daylight of 

 Thursday, September 22 ten (10) full days at a 

 point on the Macon Railroad known as Ro'ugh and 

 Ready, and the country round about for a circle of 

 two (2) miles radius, together with the roads leading 

 to and from, in the direction of Atlanta and Lovejoy 

 station, respectively, for the purpose of affording the 

 people of Atlanta a safe means of removal to points 

 south. 



2. The Chief Quartermaster at Atlanta, Col. Easton, 

 will afford all the citizens of Atlanta who elect to go 

 south all the facilities he can spare to remove them, 

 comfortably and safely, with their effects, to Rough 

 and Ready station, using cars and ambulances for 

 that purpose; and commanders of regiments and 

 brigades may use their regimental and staff teams to 

 carry out the object of this order; the whole to cease 

 after Wednesday, 21st inst. 



3. Maj.-Gen. Thomas will cause a guard to be 

 established on the road out beyond the camp ground, 

 with orders to allow all wagons and vehicles to pass 

 that are used manifestlv for this purpose ; and Maj.- 

 Gen. Howard will send a guard of one hundred men, 

 with a field officer in command, to take post at Rough 

 and Ready during the truce, with orders, in concert 

 with a guard from the Confederate army of like size, 

 to maintain the most perfect order in that viciuity 



