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Significant Museum Acquisition


Andrea

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Wow, this sounds like a pretty big deal.

Gift of Civil War relics a treasure for museum

History center director Jim Bruns, gleeful at showing off just a tiny part of the collection, said it would be months before the objects were available for public viewing. The entire trove hasn't even been unpacked yet.

"We now have the finest collection in the world," said Bruns, pointing at some of the most important relics in a tour of a vault. "There now are two [Civil War] pilgrimage sites ... Gettysburg and us. And ours is the best."

I understand the History Center is also in the process of acquiring Gen. Sherman's original handwritten orders regarding the battle of Atlanta and the subsequent Union occupation of the city. While I'm not a huge Civil War buff myself, it is obviously intrinsic to Atlanta's historical imagery in ways which I don't believe are comparable to any other large city. Atlanta's role in the Civil War and in the aftermath are part of its defining characteristics.

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I am quite pleased that the Atlanta History Center is able to obtain these items. As has been said earlier, Atlanta has a significant role in the Civil War and now it will have a significant role in the preservation of precious artifacts from the era. The letters from Gen. Sherman would be a definite plus......

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I'd like to read those Sherman letters and see what compelled him to burn any and everything in his path, along with killing any and everything in his path. Special place for him in hades :angry:

Well from a purely historical point of reference, the slash and burn tactic was not unique to Sherman or the Civil War. It's a war tactic that is quite old. It was even used quite heavily and effectively by the Russians in WWI and WWII. I think he felt that if he burned major installations along the route, it would hamper any chances of the enemy regrouping. It's like what we did during both Iraq wars....bomb communications and transportation and voila' your enemy is unable to communicate. Back in those days they didn't have smart bombs so they burned everything. War is Hell.

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I'd like to read those Sherman letters and see what compelled him to burn any and everything in his path, along with killing any and everything in his path.

Sherman never made any bones about why he did this:

"I will make Georgia howl!"

Gen. William T. Sherman, letter to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, October 9, 1864.

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I'd like to read those Sherman letters and see what compelled him to burn any and everything in his path, along with killing any and everything in his path. Special place for him in hades :angry:

Then there is a special place in hell also for US military / political leaders during WWII that approved carpet bombing in Germany & Japan, not to mention the two nuclear bomb attacks in Japan. Sherman had to do what he did - the South was not surrendering, but continued to limp along with still a sizable army & Sherman realized he had to severely cut the South's economy. What is different between the Civil War & WWII, was that WWII bombing runs targeted civilians in some cases.

I won't even mention Vietnam War, or our current war. But in cases of wars that appear to have no ending - drastic measures are neccessary. Sherman certainly saved far more lives in the long run than he is responsible for - which the civilian deaths responsible are exagerated. Not to mention the burning of Atlanta is also partially due to Confederate soldiers burning remaining ammunition & food supply depots as they abandoned the city.

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