Rethinking Sherman's March: A Kindler, Gentler Total War?

[CountDeMoney]

Most of the chuckleheads posting murderous sentiments are, fortunately, merely trolling.  Or I hope they are.  Maybe they just think they're playing a strategy game and people's lives are just bad POPs they wish they could get ride of.

Stupid rebels always get the higher morale factors.

[DGuller]

Most of the chuckleheads posting murderous sentiments are, fortunately, merely trolling.

They're not murderous sentiments, they're executionist sentiments.  I'm sure the North would've given them a fair show trial before their hanging.

[derspiess]

Most of the chuckleheads posting murderous sentiments are, fortunately, merely trolling.

They're not murderous sentiments, they're executionist sentiments.  I'm sure the North would've given them a fair show trial before their hanging.

After the unspeakable slaughter that took place during the war, I'm not sure the North would have had the stomach for it.

[Razgovory]

Or let the Missouri Ruffians off the hook for all the atrocities they committed in Kansas before the war.

They should have hung those as well.  A lot of them became bandits after the war.

[Razgovory]

Most of the chuckleheads posting murderous sentiments are, fortunately, merely trolling.

They're not murderous sentiments, they're executionist sentiments.  I'm sure the North would've given them a fair show trial before their hanging.

After the unspeakable slaughter that took place during the war, I'm not sure the North would have had the stomach for it.

Why?  The south still did.  The Union threw blacks under the bus to keep the peace.

[dps]

DG is the voice of reason here.  We did let the South off too easily with Reconstruction ending way too soon.   But mass executions?  Yeah, great way to heal the nation.

A wound needs to be cleansed for it to heal properly.  We didn't clean this one well and let it get infected.  Took it a century just to scab over good, and it's still not fully healed.

[The Brain]

A wise man once noted that people can forgive you for killing their parents but they will never forgive you for taking their inheritance. If the Union had killed the traitors instead of taking their property any wound would have healed long ago.

[11B4V]

Most of the chuckleheads posting murderous sentiments are, fortunately, merely trolling.

They're not murderous sentiments, they're executionist sentiments.  I'm sure the North would've given them a fair show trial before their hanging.

After the unspeakable slaughter that took place during the war, I'm not sure the North would have had the stomach for it.

Why?  The south still did.  The Union threw blacks under the bus to keep the peace.

DS, you have a stalker.

[jimmy olsen]

A wise man once noted that people can forgive you for killing their parents but they will never forgive you for taking their inheritance. If the Union had killed the traitors instead of taking their property any wound would have healed long ago.

What wise man was this?

Anyways, the whole war was over their right to hold human "property"

[Razgovory]

The Union should have punished the Planter class by confiscating their land and redistributing it amongst poor whites and former slaves.

[jimmy olsen]

The Union should have punished the Planter class by confiscating their land and redistributing it amongst poor whites and former slaves.

Yup. Not only would it be much more moral, it would be much more effective than mass executions.

[The Brain]

A wise man once noted that people can forgive you for killing their parents but they will never forgive you for taking their inheritance. If the Union had killed the traitors instead of taking their property any wound would have healed long ago.

What wise man was this?

Machiavelli.

[Razgovory]

The Union should have punished the Planter class by confiscating their land and redistributing it amongst poor whites and former slaves.

Yup. Not only would it be much more moral, it would be much more effective than mass executions.

Wait, maybe that's not such a good idea anyway.

[Admiral Yi]

It's a terrible idea.  It would have guaranteed the permanent hostility of the governing class of the South.

[Razgovory]

It's a terrible idea.  It would have guaranteed the permanent hostility of the governing class of the South.

Yeah, except they wouldn't be the governing class anymore.  Their basis of power was the wealth that land gave them.  No land, no power.  As it was the US gained the hostility of the ruling class who launched insurgencies and guerrilla war till they got what they wanted: The withdrawal of federal soldiers, restoration of Southern governments, and suppression of blacks.