Was Lincoln’s Union Army an organized gang of plunderers, murderers, and rapists who make the Israeli “Defense Force” look like benevolent Christians?

[Kelley1]

The Burning of Atlanta

Until Lincoln’s invasion of the Confederate States of America, war in the civilized Western world was confined to combatants. Lincoln broke the code of civilized warfare and conducted war against the civilian population of the South. The Americans and the British followed this practice in the war against Japan and Germany.

[lightbulb27]

I suspect most armies are...

look what happened to German civilians when the russians came in. The USA was a little nicer, but they still took advantage of Germans.

General Sherman, doubt he or what he wrote will confess.

It is fair to say that in order to win, one side must be crushed to break their will... and that is awful given that after that, people accept the change. Look at Japan post WWII... all that death and misery was for nothing.

[Kelley1]

During World War II, Russia (Soviet Union) lost approximately 27 million lives, including both military and civilian casualties. Estimates suggest around 11.4 million military deaths and up to 10 million civilian deaths due to military activity, with additional deaths from famine and disease.

After that, they were not going to be nice.

[lightbulb27]

Understand, they are human and many might do the same, we don't know, we haven't been put through the test... yet. War turns people into animals.
I listened to the story told by a russian soldier of two young (13-14) yr old German girls whom couldn't find their parents... raped by the russian soldiers... not one or two but a line of them. And then shot dead. If you can imagine the horror of that, the pain and last moments, it at least makes one pause. Even the soldier telling it was still disgusted.
Some people have souls and others don't.. or lose them in the emotional swirl. Remember as the Bible says..."The devil goes around like a roaring lion"... and that's still true.
So we have to be very careful as humans not to turn into the awful animals we can become with very little effort.
If you'd like to listen I'll look it up. I like real history... as real as can get it.

I'm not abusing russians, it's just an example. Americans were abusing Germans as well and Japanese.

[KostasKouvalis]

Considering he suspended due process and actually wanted to deport the freed slaves to Belize, I believe it and am not in the least bit surprised. Lincoln in reality was such a bad person, yet the left glorifies him as a hero of social justice.

[Kelley1]

The South would have won if Lee had taken his army at the beginning, marched on Washington DC, arrested and put Lincoln on trial. However, the South didn't want to fight. They just wanted to be left alone. That gave the much richer North time to draft and train an army.

[blackeagle007]

That’s where the South screwed up. Going on the offensive was the souths downfall. Gettysburg for example, that battle resulted in South losing supply lines. The confederacy weren’t rebels, just breakaway was their goal.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

He considered deportation but settled on giving the slaves the plantations. But he was shot before it could be implemented.

[Rangers]

A lot of the fires were caused by improper or reckless practices when military supplies were destroyed, but yes, still light by war standards cause they recognized that once it was over, they'd be one nation again

Most wars are between two foreign powers who've been having significant issues for decades leading up to war. And when towns were taken, both sides in the American Civil War may have been the nicest soldiers in human history, up until that point

Strong Confederate resolve in the face of larger numbers also tamed some Union generals, such as Sherman himself being defeated at Kennesaw and Chickasaw bayou when he'd been sure of victory, prior.

He was also shot in the hand at Shiloh, he couldn't ignore the threat they posed, so he targeted supplies. Israel is hitting Gaza cause it's not their people in there, and their people ARE in Israel.

Every time Israel stops, Hamas attacks, so they're finishing the job, I'd do the same thing. If you're not gonna finish the job, don't waste blood going to war, just to let them come right back an attack again

[Hagar88]

Not civilised. War maybe should be terrifying and brutal. Look at iraq and Afghanistan the us military was blind by the rules of war and as a result the war dragged on for 20 years.

In the old days guys like Julius Caeser, Genesis Khan, Attila the Hun, William the conqueror and others led brutal conquests. The more brutal they were the quicker the campaigns were over.

When Grant and Sherman went into the south there was never going to be a chance or a doubt of southern resistance or retaking territory. The brutality shortened the war and saved lives.

[loveslongnails]

If the point you're trying to make is that one side's army was worse than the other, you're delusional. Southern slave owners were hanging and gutting blacks long before any war started too. The Grey was no better behaved than the Blue.

Washington ordered Sullivan to burn EVERY Indian village from the Potomac north to Canada, even the ones of the tribes who aided him during the war. He was the original pig; the first Trump, total con man, which is why he's one of the Mango Molester's heroes. Also guilty of war crimes, just like Trump is now.

No army acts decently during war time or occupations. You think because you don't hear about ALL the atrocities, that they don't happen? The IDF are criminals by definition as well.

The only regimes that face actual war crime charges are the losers, but the winners are always equally guilty.

[888theGreat]

I liked Lincoln. He helped end slavery and kept Union together. However , being Southern myself I would have fought on the South. I believe the North had no business telling the South what to do. I think the North is like Federal Gov't today. I am against Slavery , but no way I could fought for the North.

[Hagar88]

Hate to say it but it was the confederate who attacked first.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

50,000 free civilians died over a course of 4+ years across a region with 6 million free citizens during the American Civil War. The IDF killed 70,000 civilians in a span of 2 years in a region with a population of 2 million. So, no.

Plus you have to weigh the bad with the good, what destruction the Union Army caused was to free 4 million people from human bondage. Meanwhile the IDF fought to colonize Gaza.

[beefcakebradybatson]

Yep. Abe would be tried for war crimes had his armies plundered Atlanta in 2026.

[abc3643]

Oh Jesus, what "War of Northern Aggression" horseshit did they teach you in Arkansas or SMU?

[Sevenpointfive]

i wouldn't say that. they are about equal. i thought we had come a long way from that?

[Dargil]

No, but the Democratic party that invented the Confederacy and started the civil war, were.

[AviatorTom]

Not sure where you get your facts. When General Sherman's troops burned Atlanta, they warned the people a few days earlier, and almost all left the city. It's estimated that only a few dozen died, those who stayed behind despite the warnings.

[Kelley1]

Winners write history. By any standard, that was genocide, including the rape and murder of women and children.

[AviatorTom]

@Kelley1 Would you please cite your sources for those statements. Yes, Sherman burned and destroyed buildings, homes and crops during his March to the Sea, as a punishment for the South's secession from the Union. But people were always warned of his coming, and they fled before he got there. I can find no reliable source that states, or even implies, that Sherman committed genocide.

[Rangers]

I mean, if you send someone a letter that a huge army is coming, is it not natural that they held onto hope that the Confederate defenders would send Sherman back?

People like to joke, the Confederates defeated the Union army countless times.

Sherman had been defeated by them before even in a humiliating fashion like Chickasaw bayou where he outnumbered Confederates 2 to 1, yet he lost almost 10 union soldiers for every 1 the Confederates lost.

That letter is nothing more than a sticker to wave and say he warned people for the history books when really, he didn't. He just insulted them by saying it was hopeless

[NathanDavis]

"fair war"

lmao...

[qwerty2469]

I like your style.