General William Tecumseh Sherman and staff (from left to right): Generals Oliver O. Howard, John A. Logan, William B. Hazen, Sherman, Jefferson Davis, Henry W. Slocum, and Joseph Mower. Photograph by Mathew B. Brady.
Gallery of William Sherman
Gen. William T. Sherman (leaning on the breech of the cannon) and staff at Union Fort No. 7, Atlanta, 1864, photograph by George N. Barnard.
Gallery of William Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
Gallery of William Sherman
William T. Sherman wearing mourning arm band for President Lincoln.
General William Tecumseh Sherman and staff (from left to right): Generals Oliver O. Howard, John A. Logan, William B. Hazen, Sherman, Jefferson Davis, Henry W. Slocum, and Joseph Mower. Photograph by Mathew B. Brady.
William T. Sherman wearing mourning arm band for President Lincoln.
Connections
collaborator: John M. Schofield
John McAllister Schofield (September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War under Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant, and Commanding General of the United States Army.
Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman (Library of America)
(Hailed as prophet of modern war and condemned as a harbin...)
Hailed as prophet of modern war and condemned as a harbinger of modern barbarism, William Tecumseh Sherman is the most controversial general of the American Civil War. “War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it,” he wrote in fury to the Confederate mayor of Atlanta, and his memoir is filled with dozens of such wartime exchanges. With the propulsive energy and intelligence that marked his campaigns, Sherman describes striking incidents and anecdotes and collects dozens of his incisive and often outspoken wartime orders and reports. This complex self-portrait of an innovative and relentless American warrior provides firsthand accounts of the war’s crucial events—Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Atlanta campaign, the marches through Georgia and the Carolinas.
(William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the most important and...)
William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the most important and controversial generals in American history. Just about the only thing everyone would agree on is his effectiveness. While he's lauded as a Union war hero during the Civil War and a forerunner of modern warfare, the South despised him for his heavy-handed tactics, particularly the burning of Columbia and his March to the Sea. The hard-hitting Sherman was just as tough in his memoirs, a candid look at his experiences in the war and his analysis of the generalship of others in every theater. His memoirs are considered one of the most important post-war works by a general on either side of the Civil War.
General W.t. Sherman As College President: A Collection Of Letters, Documents, And Other Material, Chiefly From Private Sources, Relating To The Life ... To The Early Years Of Louisiana State
(This work has been selected by scholars as being cultural...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Works of William Tecumseh Sherman eBook: William Tecumseh Sherman: Kindle Store
(2 works of William Tecumseh Sherman American soldier, bus...)
2 works of William Tecumseh Sherman American soldier, businessman, educator and author (1820-1891) This ebook presents a collection of 2 works of William Tecumseh Sherman. A dynamic table of contents allows you to jump directly to the work selected. Table of Contents: - Memoirs of General William T. Sherman volume I - Memoirs of General William T. Sherman volume II
(Who was William Tecumseh Sherman? Before the American Civ...)
Who was William Tecumseh Sherman? Before the American Civil War, he was an obscure military man. In the early days of the conflict, he was considered by some to be insane. At the end of the war, he was considered one of America's greatest heroes and generals. Brilliant, erratic, and a force of nature, Sherman cut a swath across the South that is now a part of world history. In these intimate letters to family, you see a side of Sherman you perhaps have not seen before. From a young man writing to his future wife, to the general in charge of an army, to the man in his last years, these are the private letters Sherman sent home. This collection was passed on to Marc Antony DeWolfe Howe (of the Atlantic Monthly) by Sherman's daughter. Here are his opinions on politics and politicians, his fellow generals, his friend Grant, and the horrors of war.
The Life of Uncle Billy - Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman: Early Life, Memories of Mexican & Civil War, Post-war Period; Including Official Army Documents and Military Maps eBook: William Tecumseh Sherman: Kindle Store
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He was an American Civil War general who was noted as a major architect of modern warfare. He led Union forces in crushing campaigns through the South, marching through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–65).
Background
Sherman was born on February 8, 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio, near the banks of the Hocking River. His father, Charles Robert Sherman, a successful lawyer who sat on the Ohio Supreme Court, died unexpectedly in 1829. He left his widow, Mary Hoyt Sherman, with eleven children and no inheritance. After his father's death, the nine-year-old Sherman was raised by a Lancaster neighbor and family friend, attorney Thomas Ewing, Sr., a prominent member of the Whig Party who served as senator from Ohio and as the first Secretary of the Interior. Sherman was distantly related to American founding father Roger Sherman and grew to admire him.
There has been much speculation on Sherman's middle name. In his memoirs, he wrote that his father gave him the name William Tecumseh because he admired the Shawnee chief Tecumseh who had tried to unite Ohio River Valley Native American tribes in the early 19th century.
Education
Senator Ewing secured an appointment for the 16-year-old Sherman as a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he roomed and became good friends with another important future Civil War General, George H. Thomas. There Sherman excelled academically, but he treated the demerit system with indifference. Sherman graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1840, sixth in his class.
William T. Sherman's early military career was anything but spectacular. Unlike many of his colleagues who saw action during the Mexican-American War, Sherman spent this time stationed in California as an executive officer. He served in the Second Seminole War (1840 - 1842) stationed in California during the Mexican War, so he had little chance for combat honor, although he was awarded one brevet.
He resigned from the Army on September 6, 1853, and entered civilian life, working in banks in California and New York City. He also practiced law unsuccessfully in Kansas and was superintendent of a military academy at Alexandria, Louisiana (now Louisiana State University), when the Civil War came.
Returning to the Army in May 1861, Sherman commanded a brigade at First Bull Run on July 21, 1861. From August to November he was with the Department of the Cumberland in Kentucky, eventually taking command of that department. Nervous, overly alarmed at Confederate capabilities, and racked with hostility toward newspapermen, he suffered an emotional breakdown and was transferred to Missouri for a time.
Returning to Tennessee, he supported General Ulysses S. Grant in victorious campaigns against Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson in February 1862. Sherman formed a close friendship with Grant and, as a division commander, accompanied Grant's army as it moved southward to Pittsburg Landing. When the Union force was surprised by the massive attack of Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh on April 6, Sherman reacted vigorously in helping stem the tide of Union defeat. The next day, reinforced by troops from General Don Carlos Buell's force, the Federals drove the enemy from the field.
In late 1862 Sherman occupied Memphis but, in his movement against Vicksburg, was repulsed at Chickasaw Bluffs at the end of December. Now a major general of volunteers, and in command of the XV Corps, he served with Grant's Army of the Tennessee in the eventually successful operations against Vicksburg in the first half of 1863.
When Grant was ordered to relieve the Union army at Chattanooga in late 1863, Sherman went along and participated in the Battle of Chattanooga. His attacks at Tunnel Hill on November 24 were repelled, but other Federal assaults succeeded in driving out the Confederate force. Sherman then moved to relieve Knoxville in December. In February 1864, he captured the enemy base at Meridian, Mississippi.
When Grant became general in chief of all the Union armies, Sherman succeeded him in command in the West. Battle strategy determined that simultaneous advances would be made in May 1864 against General Robert E. Lee, defending Richmond, and General Joseph E. Johnston, defending Atlanta.
Sherman began his campaign for Atlanta with 100, 000 men as against Johnston's 60, 000. Sherman steadily worked his way to the vicinity of Atlanta. He was unwittingly aided when the rash General John B. Hood superseded Johnston. Sherman captured the important city on September 2. Then, sending General George H. Thomas back to check Hood's counter sortie into Tennessee, Sherman embarked with 62, 000 men on his famed "March to the Sea." He captured Savannah on December 21, 1864. This was followed by a swing northward through the Carolinas, against minor opposition, and culminated in the capitulation of Johnston's army at Durham Station on April 17.
When Grant became United States president in 1869, Sherman replaced him as general in chief, a post he held with distinction until he retired from the army in 1883 as a four-star general. Residing in St. Louis and then New York City, Sherman continued to be active as a speaker and writer.
William Tecumseh Sherman died on February 14, 1891, in New York City. According to his wishes, he was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. President Benjamin Harrison ordered all national flags be flown at half-staff.
Sherman's birth family was Presbyterian and he was originally baptized as such. His foster family, including his future wife Ellen, were devout Catholics, and Sherman was re-baptized and later married in the Catholic rite. According to his son Thomas, who became a Catholic priest, Sherman attended the Catholic Church until the outbreak of the Civil War, but not thereafter. Sherman wrote publicly that "my immediate family are strongly Catholic. I am not and cannot be. "
Views
Sherman was not an abolitionist before the war and, like others of his time and background, he did not believe in "Negro equality".
Sherman advocated total war against hostile Indians to force them back onto their reservations.
He also believed that the Native Americans were an impediment to progress, he ordered total destruction of the warring tribes. Despite his harsh treatment of Native Americans, Sherman spoke out against unscrupulous government officials who mistreated them on the reservations.
Quotations:
He declined to run for the presidency, saying, "I will not accept if nominated, and will not serve if elected."
"I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell."
“The utter destruction of [Georgia’s] roads, houses and people,” he had written, “will cripple their military resources… I can make Georgia howl!”
Personality
He nevertheless won high honors by his talent for devising sweeping campaign plans and by his ability in carrying out great marches with sure logistic support.
He was much a colorful speaker at dinners and banquets, in which he indulged a fondness for quoting Shakespeare.
While stationing in Kentucky, he became deeply pessimistic about the war, complaining to his superiors about shortages while exaggerating the enemy's troop strength. He was eventually put on leave, considered unfit for duty. The press picked up on his troubles and described him as "insane." It is believed Sherman suffered from a nervous breakdown.
Quotes from others about the person
British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general".
President Benjamin Harrison: "He was an ideal soldier, and shared to the fullest the esprit du corps of the army, but he cherished the civil institutions organized under the Constitution, and was only a soldier that these might be perpetuated in undiminished usefulness and honor. "
William T. Sherman remained in the West, serving with Grant in the long campaign against Vicksburg. However, the press was relentless in its criticism of both men. As one newspaper complained, the "Army was being ruined in mud-turtle expeditions, under the leadership of a drunkard [Grant] whose confidential adviser [Sherman] was a lunatic."
Interests
He was devoted to the theater and to amateur painting.
Connections
In 1850, he married Eleanor Boyle Ewing, who was four years younger then him. She was the daughter of Thomas Ewing. They married in a Washington ceremony attended by President Zachary Taylor. They conceived eight children.