Volume 4, Number 7 July 2012 Officer’s Call Sesquicentennial Series Article #22 Sherman’s March to the Sea. Submitted by David G. Whitaker, DCS U.S. General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through the South, notably, through Georgia and South Carolina, may qualify as the most hideous of all military assaults against a civilian population in modern history. The list of recorded accounts of events that Sherman was wholly responsible for would be entirely too long to attempt to cover in this publication. But, several examples from the Official Records of Sherman's actions will surely leave the reader convinced that Sherman detested the Southern people as did the soldiers that served under him. Brigadier General Edward M. McCook, First Cavalry Division of Cavalry Corps, at Calhoun, Georgia, on Oc- tober 30, 1864, reported to Sherman, "My men killed some of those fellows two or three days since, and I had their houses burned....I will carry out your instructions thoroughly and leave the country east of the road uninhabitable." Sherman, on November 11, 1864, telegraphed Major General Henry Halleck, "Last night we burned all foun- dries, mills, and shops of every kind in Rome, and tomorrow I leave Kingston with the rear guard for Atlanta, which I propose to dispose of in a similar manner, and to start on the 16th on the projected grand raid.....Tomorrow our wires will be broken, and this is probably my last dispatch." In Kingston, Georgia, Sherman wrote to U.S. Major General Philip H. Sheridan, "I am satisfied...that the problem of this war consists in the awful fact that the present class of men who rule the South must be killed outright rather than in the conquest of territory, so that hard, bull-dog fighting, and a great deal of it, yet remains to be done....Therefore, I shall expect you on any and all occasions to make bloody results." Captain Orlando M. Poe, chief engineer, Military Division of the Mississippi, reported: "The court-house in Sandersonville, Georgia, a very substantial brick building, was burned by order of General Sherman, because the en- emy had made use of it's portico from which to fire upon our troops." Sherman, in Milledgeville, Georgia, issued Special Order no. 127, "In case of...destruction of bridges by the enemy,...the commanding officer...on the spot will deal harshly with the inhabitants nearby....Should the enemy burn forage and corn on our route, houses, barns, and cotton-gins must also be burned to keep them company." General Howard reported to Sherman, "We have found the country full of provisions and forage....Quite a number of private dwellings...have been destroyed by fire...; also, many instances of the most inexcusable and wanton acts, such as the breaking open of trunks, taking of silver pate, etc." Sherman reported to Grant, "The whole United States...would rejoice to have this army turned loose on South Carolina to devastate that State, in the manner we have done in Georgia." ( — Continued on Page 5 —) MOS&B International P O Box 1700 White House, TN 37188-1700 [email protected] Officer’s Call - July 2012 Page 2 Features Page 1: Sesquicentennial Article # 22 - Sherman’s Page 16: The Loss of Tennessee - The Defeat at Mission- March to the Sea by David Whitacker. ary Ridge by C. L. Gray Page 3: Commander General’s Message Page 19: Brigadier General St. John Richardson Liddell Chapter # 271 Cleans Grave of CSN Lt. John Maxwell Page 4: With Deep Regret Announcement - PCG Joe Stribling Gay, III Page 4: Know Your Leaders - William L. Caynor Page 20: Leadership by Ben Willingham Page 9: Listing of Awards Presented at the 2012 Con- Page 22: Cpt. Henry Harris Honored vention Page 23: MOS&B in Scotland Page 11: Know Your Leaders - Sigmund Reckline Page 12: Chaplain General’s Thoughts Page 24: A Day in the Life of the Confederacy - July 1862 by Ben Willingham Page 13: Confederate Legacy Fund 2012-2014 Staff and Committee Chairmen General Executive Council Archivist General Philip Isset Chaplain General Raymond Holder Commander General Toni Turk Communications General Gary M. Loudermilk Lt. Commander General Howard Jones Deputy Communications General (Editor) Jeffrey L. Sizemore Adjutant General Bill Caynor Historian General Ben Willingham Chief of Staff Sig Reckline Quartermaster General Robert Turk Judge Advocate General Tom Boardman Deputy Quartermaster General (Webmaster) Stephen McGee Treasurer General Conway Moncure Registered Agent Dick Knight ANV Commander Henry Knauf Chief ADC JEB Stuart ANV Executive Councilor M. Cain Griffin ADC International Roger Thornton ANV Executive Councilor John Williams Awards Chair Ed Stack AOT Commander O. David Denard Education Chair John Echols AOT Executive Councilor Bert Blackmon Finance Chair Conway Moncure AOT Executive Councilor David Floyd Grants Chair Howard Jones Investment Chair Ben Willingham ATM Commander Gary L. Loudermilk Literary Chair Charles Smith ATM Executive Councilor David Holcombe Membership Chair Howard Jones ATM Executive Councilor Philip Isset Real Sons Chair J. Troy Massey Past Commander General Max L. Waldrop, Jr. Scholarship Chair Gary M. Loudermilk Past Commander General Dr. C. Anthony Hodges Time & Place Chair J. Troy Massey Past Commander General Philip H. Law War & Military Service Chair Charles Smith Past Commander General Daniel W. Jones Past Commander General Jeffery W. Massey Past Commander General Albert D. Jones, Jr. The MOS&B Officer’s Call, a leader among heritage magazines, is pub- Past Commander General Joe B. Gay, III lished monthly by the Military Order of the Stars and Bars. Past Commander General James Troy Massey The members of the MOS&B are descendants of the Confederate Officer Past Commander-in-Chief Perry J. Outlaw Corps and elected government officials. We are dedicated to the preser- Past Commander-in-Chief Charles H. Smith vation and education of the memory of our ancestors and the traditional Past Commander-in-Chief Robert L. Hawkins, III values of our Southern Heritage. Past Commander-in-Chief Edward O. Cailleteau Past Commander-in-Chief John L. Echols, Sr. Address all general business or advertising correspondence to MOS&B IHQ, P O Box 1700, White House, TN 37188-1700 Past Commander-in-Chief Mark L. (Beau) Cantrell Officer’s Call - Vol. 4 Issue 7 Page 3 Commander General’s Message The Military Order of the Stars and Bars is a Confederate heritage group that while incorporat- ing the word “military” in its title also embraces the civil leadership of the Confederacy in determining eligibility for membership. Similarly the membership of the Order includes those who have given both military and public service. The July issue of the Officer’s Call provides an overview of the military service rendered by our membership. The August issue will consider our civil leaders. Approximately 20% of those joining our Order have given military service. These are nearly equally divided between those that served in the ranks and those serving as officers. Our membership has included every enlisted, warrant and commissioned rank. Every branch of service is represented. Twenty-six flag and general officers have been identified, including four who are still living. A representative sample of some of our better known military members has been selected. These are presented in membership numerical order. Members #11 & 49 are father and son. The father was Brigadier General William Preston Wooten [1873- 1950] of North Carolina. He saw service in the Philippine Insurrection and in World War II. During the later he com- manded the 14th Engineer Regiment and was Engineer of the III US Army Corps. Postwar he was the Chief Engineer of the Army of Occupation in Germany. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and being inducted as a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (British). During his career he also taught at West Point. The son was Major General Sidney Clay Wooten [1907-2003] of Kentucky. General Wooten graduated from West Point in 1930. During his career he commanded Fort Devens in Massachusetts and Fort Dix in New Jersey. In World War II he commanded the 5th Infantry Regiment in Europe. In Korea he commanded the 17th Infantry Regi- ment and was the chief adviser to the South Korean Army. At Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, he oversaw the reception and resettlement of 30,000 Hungarian refugees who fled Hungary after the 1956 uprising there. His awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, 2 Legion of Merits, Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He was active in The Society of the Cincinnati. Both father and son are buried in Ar- lington National Cemetery. MOS&B Founders Member #26 is Major General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham [1867-1944] of Tennessee. General Cheatham’s great-great-grandfather General James Robertson is considered to be the father of Tennessee. General Cheatham’s father and namesake fought in the Mexican War and was himself a Major General in the Confederate Army. General Cheatham’s service included the Spanish American War, Philippine Insurrection, and World War I. He was appointed Major General in 1926. After retirement in 1930 he managed an 1100 acre plantation in Virginia and he became Resident Superintendent of Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor (Commander). MOS&B Founder Member #45 is Major General Edgar Erskine Hume, Sr., MD [1889-1952] of Kentucky. General Hume re- ceived his medical doctorate from John Hopkins University. He served in World War I, World War II and Korea. His promotion to Major General came in 1949. He held a number of command positions both medical and otherwise.