Col. Fielding Hurst - I love my country and am too proud of her flag to ever disgrace it
I came across this 3/29/1864 letter below from Col. Hurst to B.H. Grierson concerning Hurst’s own accusations of atrocities being committed by the other side, specifically Nathan Bedford Forrest. I want to come back to this letter for other reasons later, but wanted to post a quick thought on one particular sentence in the letter.
“I love my country and am too proud of her flag to ever disgrace it by that mode of warfare that Tennesseans must and will adopt if such outrages are not suppressed.” - Col. Fielding Hurst 3/29/1864
Fielding Hurst looks to go out of his way to deny that he would participate in similar atrocities. It’s an odd sort of statement; I am too proud to do it, but we will if they don’t stop (in the future).
This statement is pretty amazing considering what Hurst’s men were already accused of during the year of 1864 alone. The following are from the W. Clay Crook article in which he dramatically states “1864 reads like a roll call of the damned.”
- January 1,1864 a deformed and helpless cripple named Ree Doroughty - just 16-years-old was arrested and brutally murdered.
- February 5,1864 Pvt. Martin of the 21st was shot to death, and burial denied for four days.
- February 7,1864 Held Jackson, TN hostage under the threat of burning the town over $5,139.25.
- February 12,1864 Collected $5,139.25 then burned the city anyway.
- March 8,1864 Pvt. Alex Vale of Co. H., Newsome’s 18th, was arrested and shot in Madison County.
- March 9,1864 Lt. J.W. Dodds, CSA, Captured and brutally murdered.
So, is Fielding lying with his “I’m too proud” statement? There are only a few options. Telling the truth, lying, and being clueless are the three that come to mind. We know that both sides had trouble controlling their men in West TN and Northern MS. Could Fielding Hurst still believe in what he says in this March of 1864 letter or is he just laying the groundwork for justifying the use of this particular “mode of warfare” himself?
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Filed under: B.H. Grierson, Civil War, Civil War in Tennessee, Guerilla Warfare, Burning of Jackson, That Demon Called Hurst, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Official Record, Col. Fielding Hurst
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