Early attrib. of "War is hell" to Sherman

[Jonathan Lighter]

1873_Georgia Weekly Telegraph_ (Macon) (Sept. 2 ) 2 [America's Historical
Newspapers]: Mr. Davis' Speech...War is hell let loose--a Pandora's box of
moral and political pestilence opened to disease and demoralize mankind.

[An editorial on a speech by Jefferson Davis, not a transcript of his
words.]

1874 _Pomeroy's Democrat_ (Chicago) (Apr. 25) 1  [Ibid.]: [Edi]torial
Rambling in Europe....War is hell, when armies are created great spasms of
passion are formed.

Looks to me (and to Ralph Keyes as well, though with fewer exx.) like any
number of people in the 19th C. may have understood and affirmed that "War
is hell."

JL

On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 3:46 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

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> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: Early attrib. of "War is hell" to Sherman
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> 1882 _The News and Observer-_, (Raleigh, NC) November 25, 1882 p 2 col
> 2. [Gale 19th Cent Newspapers]
> "If one contemplates the just conclusions from these sad statistics, he
> will be prepared to endorse the vigorous saying of General Sherman, more
> condensed and expressive than the French proverb, that 'war is hell.'"
>
> > Fred and others know that no reliable documentation exists of
> > a specific occasion when General Sherman (1820-91) may have
> > said, "War is Hell."
> >
> > Here is a very early attribution, though it still falls short
> > of proof:
> >
> > 1883 _The Decatur [Ill.] Morning Review_ (Nov. 7) 1/2
> > [NewspaperArchive.com]: General Sherman said the other day,
> > "War has been the business of my life, and war is hell." That
> > is what his brother John is beginning to say in
> > politics._Macomb Eagle_.
> >
>
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