Well, BTC, your link requires a subscription to read beyond the first page. I will write John Marszalek and ask him about his professional opinion on the authenticity of this claim. I've corresponded with him in the past on subjects related to Sherman, and -- as you know -- he has written one of the best biographies of the general. I'm not doubting your claims that John has made this statement in the past, but I'd like to find out his current sense of the issue since I have read other historians who cast doubts on the Michigan claim. I will report back. As we used to say in radio . . . stay tuned . . .
Let me know what he has to say?
OK, today Prof. Marszalek and I exchanged a couple of emails. The essence of what he had to say on this topic was that the Columbus speech is the best documented. That is why in his book, Sherman, A Soldier's Passion for Order, he said he wrote a long paragraph with details on the Columbus speech and a short paragraph after that on the other places that WTS was reported to have made similar remarks. He specifically put the word "allegedly" before his mentions of Sherman's "War is Hell" remarks at Jackson, MIssissippi, 1863; and the Michigan Military Academy, 1879. Therefore, I'd say we've ended up in a draw in this "debate." You were right that there are substantial reports of WTS having made similar "War is Hell" remarks earlier than the Columbus speech; I was correct in giving more credibility to the Columbus event.