The title of this book alone is cause enough to raise my hackles, and the interview with author did nothing to reassure me that this is anything other than the work of a partisan hack. And exactly who is this us that he refers to in the title? Author Stephen Smith explains that he means it to apply to the physical city that existed in 1864, as well as the people who were living there at the time. Should we take that to mean that the book is actually a biography of Atlanta? If so, it appears that he limits the scope of his study to a very brief, albeit traumatizing, period in the citys history. Does Smith delve into the postwar period at all? My understanding is that Atlanta recovered from the war damage remarkably quickly, and that would certainly seem to be relevant to the story. Maybe not to the story he is trying to tell though. There was a five-week-long siege of Atlanta by the Union armies that ended when Hood abandoned the city, and the mayor surrendered it to Sherman. An occupation, and a forced mandatory evacuation of the remaining civilians, followed the capitulation. As Hood was withdrawing, he ordered that 81 train cars full of ammunition be destroyed, and the resulting conflagration probably did more damage to Atlanta than the Union guns. The destruction that Sherman did carry out was mostly limited to infrastructure that he deemed vital to the Confederate war effort. There was nothing wanton or barbaric about it. Atlanta was a crucial city because of its rail links and industrial plant. As such, it was a legitimate target of war. Davis could have declared it an open city, and allowed Sherman to peacefully march in without a battle. But he ordered Hood to defend it. Which is why I agree wholeheartedly with the quote attributed to Sherman by the author: He includes it to damn Sherman, but I think it vindicates him: I cite Major Hitchcock’s recording of his conversation with Sherman on November 13 as they watched the burning of houses in Marietta, Georgia; Sherman said, I say Jeff. Davis burnt them. Even my cats wouldn’t come up with such tortuous, convoluted reasoning!
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 02:32:09 +0000
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