Punitive War: Confederate Guerrillas and Union Reprisals

In this talk, Dr. Clay Mountcastle presented a new look at the complex nature of guerrilla warfare in the Civil War and the Union Army's calculated response to it. He examined guerrilla attacks and Federal responses in a number of operational theaters to show how the problem grew throughout the South and ultimately convinced the Union to adopt retaliatory measures that challenged the sensibilities of even the most hardened soldiers.

[@jerryraketti5794]

Sherman burns Atlanta is almost all we've learned'. Thanks for this new insight over the War period, as well as reconstruction. Perhaps this will ameliorate some hard feelings.

[@scottzike1054]

As a retired NCO .. during the question period .. you can see the COL coming out in his eyes .. him thinking .. get to the damn point .. **grin**

[@stevelenores5637]

September 2020 - Anybody notice the relevance to the times we live in?

[@rocksandoil2241]

Read the book, NW Arkansas total war, so much history

[@mobilechief]

As if Citizens would have a say, remember Nam

[@briansheehan3430]

Guerrilla Warfare is all well and good until you face against an opponent like Uncle Billy Sherman who burned the south to the ground....
Guerrillas and supporters of guerrillas can't complain when Total War is brought down on them.

[@mobilechief]

You need to study more

[@tinmanx2222]

I don't believe Billybob Sherman burned the south to the ground. Rethink what you are saying.

[@hitmeinsteadofyourkid4967]

​@@mobilechief he really does, guerrillas and local militias were the only real resistance Sherman had from altanta, to the sea, to charleston, all the the way to Eastern NC, it was those small groups of men following the union army and setting up ambushes on cavalry patrols are the men who truly saved the south from being burnt down entriely

[@SteveTheFazeman]

It took eleven minutes before anything was spoken about the subject. And then it was mostly read. Boring...

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Nice! I love these presentations. EDIT: "It's quite a punishment for folks for simply supporting what Sheridan felt was an unjustified brand of warfare." Uh....at least try to be a little impartial there. The presenter's Dixie is bleeding through. If an Afghan villager is supporting the Taliban or a Rice farmer in the Mekong is supporting the VC would you feel so tenderhearted towards the folks you , yourself, just labeled collaborators? I'm not saying it's right in any of these contexts to commit reprisals, but I don't think you can look nonchalantly towards one of those and not the others, if that is indeed the case.
I'm not about to give some Southern farmer a pass for the type of behavior that would land someone on Guantanamo today - unjustified though it'd be.