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Question: Did Lincoln's troops commit crimes like looting and burning civilian homes during the civil war!?
In "Gone With The Wind", the author wrote:"Sherman's troops were marching through Georgia!.!.!.!.!.In a swath 80 miles wide the Yankees were looting and burning!. There were hundreds of homes in flames, hundreds of homes resounding with their footsteps!."
also in the novel, some black slaves risk their lives to save their white masters during the war!. In real history, what was the real relationship between the plantation owers and their slaves!? In "Uncle Tom's Cabin", we see whites brutally abusing blacks!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Like in any war, there is always looting and terror from troops!. This happend then and it happens today!. remember the case with the US troops who abused the captured iraqis!?
And yes, there were black slaves who were very dedicated to their white masters!. For many reasons: they were not treated bad, and they had no where to go!. Other examples for their dedication is because they were afraid!. If they got caught running away, a white man could kill the slave on the spot!. The slaves had a very difficult time and hard decisions to make during those times!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Gone with the Wind is probably the worst book ever written when it come to getting the truth wrong!. Yes, Sherman's Army and the Army of the Potomac under every general they had were very guilty of looting, In many cases however looter were shoot or otherwise punished by their immediate superiors( Capt, Major, Colonel) There are however many cases where looting and burning were attributed to Sherman's Army of the Mississippi when the army and even the Foraging parties were not even with in 200 miles of that location!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Uncle Tom's Cabin wasn't true of ALL cases!. Yes some plantation owners were cruel, but not all were!. Anyway seriously read about Sherman's march to the Atlantic!. It PISSED OFF THE NORTH as well!. The war was OVER!. Still upsets me to hear of it, and I'm from the North!. It was totally unnecessary!. I understand the old rule he was following, you burn the crops to starve out your enemy behind you!. Prevents them from regrouping, thing is that it was not needed in this case because the South was all but beaten!. That though is just the most extreme case of it happening!. Both sides looted and all that during the war, that's part of war sadly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Bitter truth ,the way it was on my mothers side the slaves did not want to leave !.they were educated there and had their own property!.The work was equal and food was theirs !.They had a good life and there was nothing outside of that life !.the Yankees set them free but treated them no better !.they would not employ them ,didn't want them around !.
The other side of my family ran an underground R!.R!. Steamboats !.And smuggled many to the north through Point Pleasant Shiloh Cincinnati Ohio!.And spent many night the same as the people they helped as if they were caught !.Both would have paid dearly!.
That's the short of it !.Www@QuestionHome@Com