Rosalie Mansion: Where Yankee War Crimes were Plotted and Approved

The stately, antebellum Rosalie Mansion in Natchez, Mississippi, witnessed the conception of some of the worst atrocities and war crimes in American history. It was here, in 1863, that General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the invading Union forces, set up temporary headquarters after his Union troops occupied Natchez during the War Between the States. According to a docent at Rosilie Mansion, a table in one of the upstairs rooms is where Grant signed and sent his consent to General William Tecumseh "War is Hell" Sherman to wage "total war" against Southern civilians, ultimately leading to Sherman's diabolical March to the Sea.

Grant and Sherman, along with Abraham Lincoln, who eagerly gave them his blessings, are responsible for the burning, destruction and plunder of countless undefended homes, fields, farms and towns, as well as the rape and murder of countless undefended women, children and old men, both black and white, slave and free. Their despicable deeds, which have never been redressed by the United States government, are a blight on the good name and honor of our nation. Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and others of their ilk are highly praised by sanitized history books and revisionist television documentaries. Their evil is either overlooked or excused by those who say that the South lost the war and Southerners like myself should "just get over it."

Am I still fighting the War Between the States? No, but I am upholding the good name of my ancestors, many of whom died while defending their homes against an invading foreign army from the North. A conflict is never really over until the truth is told.

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Today, Rosalie Mansion, standing high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River is a National Historic Landmark near the center of Natchez, Mississippi. The Mansion was a private residence for more than 100 years. Since 1938 the house and gardens have been owned by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and are open for tours year round. Visitors may see the actual furniture, clothing, household possessions, garden plantings and family traditions of the family that long called Rosalie home.

Rosalie was built from 1820-1823 by Peter Little who came to Natchez as a young man from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Peter developed the Steam Circular saw which was the beginning of the lumber industry in the area. He established the first sawmill in the Natchez Territory and made his fortune from the vast tracts of woodlands in the Mississippi River Valley.

Before the War Between the States, Natchez is said to have been the wealthiest town in America. Both Natchez and Mississippi have never fully recovered from the destruction of Mr. Lincoln's War to prevent Southern Independence.

Photo and story by J. Stephen Conn