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Question; if you could ask those who fought for Tennessee (CSA) after the war when the then Northern sponsored Gov. attempted to get the 14th amendment passed. Ask them how fair they though they were dealt with when the firing squad was told to fire! Granted they were not shot (sound a lot like water boarding to me) and then forced to attend so they could be counted but not allowed to vote (summer 1866 post Civil War). Or ask the widows who were raped and then killed during the war or during the march. Or ask the families of those who were captured during the reconstruction period, forced or asked to take an oath to the USA only to be executed afterwards.
Not everyone agrees that Sherman was such a noble fighter. Just one example you can find if you search for it came from Wikipedia: "Sherman's scorched earth policies have always been highly controversial, and Sherman's memory has long been reviled by many Southerners. Slaves' opinions varied concerning the actions of Sherman and his army. Those slaves who welcomed him as a liberator left their plantations to follow his armies. Jacqueline Campbell has written, on the other hand, that some slaves looked upon the Federal army's ransacking and invasive actions with disdain. They felt betrayed, as they "suffered along with their owners". These particular slaves often remained loyal to the Southern way of life, and continued to care for the land and families to which they were tied. As for the fate of those slaves who chose to flee their plantations and follow Sherman's army, a Confederate officer estimated that 10,000 followed, and hundreds died of "hunger, disease, or exposure" along the way."
From this I would say that Sherman was not so noble nor honest. After asking slaves to join his army, when the going got rough (short supplies etc...) he abandoned then to starve or go back home.
As far as methods of war and what is acceptable and not, most of the examples you cite have been used of examples of armies that have been out of control. I really don't think I would use Hitler or his army as an example of acceptable methods of war. I would also say that the USA is not guilt free either but using their past actions to justify behavior is very dangerous. After all following the urban terrorism example of Sherman the KKK terrorized the people of Arkansas in order to promote and force their will on the general public. And what about the problems in Texas with Lee and Peacock. 7 Years post war and the North was still trying to control the South. In 1871 when Grant requested Federal troops to again fight the south, the north was not for it. If Sherman was successful, then why was the fighting still going on 7 years later?
TAD99