ORs: Letter from Gen. Sherman to Gen. Kilpatrick

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In the Field, Rocky Mount, S. C. ,
February 23, 1865.

Major-General KILPATRICK, Commanding Cavalry:

GENERAL:
Yours of last night is received and your dispositions of matters are all rights. The bridge is laid and troops are crossing. I am anxious to get the wagons across and up on high ground before the rain comes. I wish you would keep your cavalry on roads to the north of the direct one by Gladden's Grove, as that will be needed all day for infantry and wagons. You shall have the bridge as fast as your brigades come. I regret the matter you report, that eighteen of your men have been murdered after surrender, and marked that the enemy intended to kill all foragers. It leaves no alternative; you must retaliate man for man and mark them in like manner. Let it be done at once. We have a perfect war right to the products of the country we overrun, and may collect them by foragers or otherwise. Let the whole people know that the war is now against them, because their armies flee before us and do not defend their country or its frontier as they should. It is pretty nonsense for Wheeler and Beauregard and such vain heroes to talk of our warring against women and children. If they claim to be men they should defend their women and children and prevent us reaching their homes. Instead of maintianing their armies let them turn their attention to their families, or we will follow them to the death. They should know that we will folow them to the deatch. They should know that we weill use the produce of the country as we please. I want the forages to be regulated and systematized so as not to degenerate into common robbers, but foragers, as such, to collect corn, bacon, beef, and such other products as we need, are as much entitled to our protection as our skirmishers and flankers. You will, therefore, at once shoot and leave by the roadside an equal numberof their prisoners, and append a label to their bodies stating that man for man shall be killed for every one of our men they kilrs commit excess punish them yourself, but never let an enemy judge between our men and the law. For my part I want the people of the South to realize the fact that they shall not dictate laws of war or peace to us. If there is to be any dictation we want our full share.

Yours, truly,
W. T. SHERMAN,
Major-General, Commanding.

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