This is August 5 - 1864. Today, the City of Atlanta is surrounded by hostile forces. South, and to the west, near the area of Westview Cemetery and along Cascade Road, the Battle of Utoy Creek is beginning. Today, however, is also the 17th day that artillery shells have been firing into the heart of Atlanta.
Atlanta is one of only a very few American cities to have been touched by war. The artillery used in the siege of Atlanta was not much different from that used today; it is a dumb, unintelligent weapon - imprecise, and known to be so. To choose to use it over a civilian population is to make a deliberate choice. It's a big, intelligent choice.
Further philosophical musings following this short squiggle.