An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about.
Interpretation
The quote warns of the grave consequences of war and the ignorance that surrounds discussions about it.
William Tecumseh Sherman expresses his profound concern about the impending horrors of war, highlighting how those who discuss it so casually are blind to its tragic implications. He suggests that the people of the South do not comprehend the catastrophic bloodshed that will ensue, labeling their cavalier attitude as folly and a crime against civilization.
In practice
During a debate on military intervention, one might quote Sherman to illustrate the serious implications of war.
An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.
Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.
I think I understand what military fame is; to be killed on the field of battle and have your name misspelled in the newspapers.
The young bloods of the South: sons of planters, lawyers about towns, good billiard-players and sportsmen, men who never did any work and never will... They are splendid riders, first-rate shots and utterly reckless. These men must all be killed or employed by us before we can hope for peace.
War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers.
War's Legitimate Object Is More Perfect Peace.
War's dirty little secret is that some men love it.
So many nurses had turned into emotionally disturbed handmaidens of the war, in their yellow-and-crimson uniforms with bone buttons.
Air Power is, above all, a psychological weapon - and only short-sighted soldiers, too battle-minded, underrate the importance of psychological factors in war.
Trenches, hospitals, the common grave--there are no other possibilities.
Like some infernal monster, still venomous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it’s all over.
Like a baseball game, wars are not over till they are over. Wars don't run on a clock like football. No previous generation was so hopelessly unrealistic that this had to be explained to them.
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