The Economic Incidence of the Civil War in the South

Abstract

little difference ; later historians have been impressed with the accuracy of Sherman's remark. Sherman was a staunch advocate of the potency of economic compression as a military policy. His march to the sea was the best, but not the only application of such a policy during the Civil War.In discussing the rights of invaders, Sherman contended that the present war is a war between peoples and the invading army is entitled to all it can get from the people of the invaded territory.' This theory of conqueror's rights was given ample expression in his general order of November 9, 1864. The order provided that "the army will forage liberally upon the country during the march." 3 Although there were regulations prescribing the methods of foraging and restricting the properties to be appropriated, the evidence indicates a lax observance of the limitations.'Historians are familiar, in a general way, with the destruction which took place. The live stock was driven before the army. The cavalry, artillery, and commissary were expected to keep themselves well supplied with good horses, equipment and provisions. Warehouses, mills, and ginhouses, the contents of which could not be appropriated, were to be destroyed. Depots, railroads, and deserted dwellings (assumed to be homes of rebels), as well as government buildings and property, were also on the condemned list.'The helpless rage of the owner can well be imagined. "I had a noble field of corn, not yet harvested. Old Sherman came along, and turned his droves of cattle right into it, and in the morning there was no more corn than there is on the back of my hand. His devils robbed me of all my flour and bacon and corn meal. They took all the pillowslips, ladies' dresses, drawers, chemises, sheets, and bed-quilts, they could find in the house, to tie up the plunder in. . . . I sunk a cask of molasses in a hog-wallow; that I think I could have saved, but a nigger boy the rascals had with 'em said he 'lowed there was something hid there ; and so he went to feeling with a stick, and found the molasses. Then they just robbed my house of every pail, cup, dish and what-not that they could carry molasses off to their camping-ground in."'The general spirit of the order, without much regard to the protecting reservation, seems to have been followed by the soldiers. "One could track the line of Sherman's march all through Georgia and South Carolina by the fires upon the horizon," testified a not unbiased witness. 7 A northern colonel admitted that in nine cases out of every ten the mansions of the South Carolina slave-holders along the line of march were burned.8Virginia was the battle-ground of the Armies of Virginia and of the Potomac. It was consequently overrun to an unusual degree by hostile troops. On October 5, 1864, General Sheridan reported that the whole country from the Blue Ridge to North Mountain had been made utterly untenable for a rebel army. He had burned 2,000 barns filled with grain and hay and 70 mills stored with wheat. 9 General Lee testified to the completeness ...

Insecurity and economic development in Colombia in the 1stcentury of independence

“…4 McPherson (2008) cites Sellers (1927) and Engerman (1971). O'Brien (1988) Leandro Prados de la Escosura seems to me there to exaggerate the prolonged nature of the negative effects of the wars of independence, as do a number of other authors.…”

“… 4 McPherson (2008) cites Sellers (1927) and Engerman (1971). O'Brien (1988) succinctly resumes the literature with commentary.…”