Today, we do General William Tecumseh Sherman!
Top: General William Tecumseh Sherman
Bottom: Sherman's birthplace in Lancaster, Ohio.
William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8th, 1820. His father originally just named him Tecumseh Sherman, after the famous Shawnee Chief. Sherman's father died in 1829, and his mother was left with 11 children with no inheritance. Sherman was adopted by Thomas Ewing Sr., a family friend and a very influential member of the Whig Party. Ewing was the one who gave Sherman his name of William. Sherman later married his foster sister, Ellen Boyle Ewing when he was 30 years old and had eight children with her.
At 16, Sherman entered West Point as a cadet. He excelled academically, and was one of the most popular people at the academy. He graduated in 1840 as a Second Lieutenant, and served with the U.S 3rd Artillery in the Second Seminole War in Florida. While many later generals of the American Civil War saw at least some action in the Mexican-American War, Sherman worked as an administrator of the newly acquired territory of California. He would later accompany the military governor of California, Colonel Richard Barnes Mason, in the inspection which officially confirmed that there was gold in California in 1848. Following the war, he was sent to varying posts in Georgia and South Carolina, where he quickly made friends.
Sherman tried to enter the business world by resigning his military post and becoming manager of the San Francisco branch of the Lucas, Turner and Co. Bank in 1853. He was not accustomed to California's aggressive business culture, and it was difficult for him to succeed in the business realm, once saying, "I can handle a hundred thousand men in battle, and take the City of the Sun, but am afraid to manage a lot in the swamp of San Francisco." He briefly served as Major General of the California Militia. When the San Francisco branch closed, he moved to New York to work on behalf of the same bank, but when it failed following the Panic of 1857, that branch closed as well. He briefly tried becoming a lawyer in 1858, but failed again.
In 1859, he became superintendent of of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. He proved to be effective at his job and very popular.
While his brother, John Sherman, was an ardent abolitionist, Sherman himself did not see any need to end the practice of slavery, and at times even supported the South in its defense of the institution. He did not, however, support a secession, repeatedly speaking against it. Upon hearing of South Carolina's secession from the United States, Sherman said this to a secessionist Professor at the Academy:
"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. War is a terrible thing! You mistake, too, the people of the North. They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too. They are not going to let this country be destroyed without a mighty effort to save it... Besides, where are your men and appliances of war to contend against them? The North can make a steam engine, locomotive, or railway car; hardly a yard of cloth or pair of shoes can you make. You are rushing into war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical, and determined people on Earth—right at your doors. You are bound to fail. Only in your spirit and determination are you prepared for war. In all else you are totally unprepared, with a bad cause to start with. At first you will make headway, but as your limited resources begin to fail, shut out from the markets of Europe as you will be, your cause will begin to wane. If your people will but stop and think, they must see in the end that you will surely fail."
Sherman basically summarized the entire war before it even started.
After Louisiana seceded from the Union, Sherman was required to join the state militia in January of 1861. Instead of complying, he resigned his position as superintendent and returned to the North, stating to the Louisianan governor that he would never do anything to harm the United States. The Civil War now began.
Top: Battle of Shiloh
Bottom: First Battle of Bull Run
At first, Sherman did not want to get involved in the war, instead working in St. Louis, Missouri for a few months. He declined Lincoln's offer to make him Assistant Secretary of War, and, following the bombardment of Fort Sumter, did not want to sign up for military duty and stated that Lincoln's call for 75,000 three-month union volunteers was not enough to win the war, stating that Lincoln may as well try to put out a house fire with a squirt gun. In May, 1861, however, Sherman signed up for military service, and his brother, Senator John Sherman, tried to get him a commission in the regular army. Sherman again made a chilling prediction about the war, by stating that the war would last much much longer than any politician would expect (Most believed the war would last three months at most). On June 7th, 1861, Sherman was commissioned as the colonel of the 13th U.S Infantry Regiment, and his regiment was sent to fight in the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21st, 1861, the first major battle of the American Civil War.
Bull Run, July 21st, 1861. American families set up picnics just outside the battleground, expecting to see a quick and entertaining fight between the Federals and the Rebels. The Yankees were expected to win a crushing victory. Sherman was the head of his Regiment, which was filled with three-month volunteers. The Union Armies were cocky, and simply expected to win. The Union at first began defeating the Confederates, but General Stonewall Jackson was able to hold off the Federals until Confederate reinforcements arrived by train. These fresh reinforcements slaughtered the Yankees, and the Unionists were forced to retreat. The families overlooking the battle were horrified and fled from the battleground. Sherman was nearly wounded during the battle, and was able to distinguish himself in the battle. Following the battle, Sherman was promoted by Abraham Lincoln and given command of the Union Armies in Kentucky, where the Confederates currently occupied the cities of Bowling Green and and Columbus.
While in command of the Armies of Kentucky, he was incredibly pessimistic and constantly complained about lack of supplies as well as providing overly exaggerated numbers for the Confederate armies. When the Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, inspected his command at Louisville, he was transferred to Missouri in early November, 1861. He was the relieved from duty in Missouri as well in December and he returned to his home in Lancaster, Ohio. He was steadily going crazy, it seemed, and Sherman himself stated that the concerns of command broke him down.
He decided to return to duty in Mid-December, serving in Missouri yet again. He provided logistical support for Ulysses S. Grant in his capture of Fort Donelson in February of 1862, and even wrote to Grant stating that, while he (Sherman) was of a higher rank than Grant, he would be willing to serve under Grant in any campaign. Sherman served under Grant during the Battle of Shiloh in March. The Confederate attack on Shiloh caught the Union commanders there completely by surprise, including Sherman. When the battle did commence, however, he rallied his division to fight until the last man, not once even considering retreat. After a month of brutal fighting, Sherman played a crucial role in the Union counterattack against the Confederates on April 7th, and successfully pushed the Confederates back. He was wounded twice and had three horses shot out from under him during the battle. He was promoted to Major General following the battle and helped take the Confederate camp at Corinth on May 30th.
Following Shiloh, Sherman served under Grant for two more major military operations at Vicksburg and Chattanooga. At Vicksburg, his forces were repulsed at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, but his forces then successfully took Arkansas Post. At Chattanooga, Sherman and 550 of his men successfully defend against 3,500 Confederate Cavalry, but was later repulsed at Tunnel Hill.
None of these battles would be as important to Sherman's legacy as the next two campaigns we will be looking at, however.
Top: Battle plan of Sherman's March to the Sea
Bottom: The Burning of Atlanta
After the fall of Vicksburg, Lincoln made Grant the head of all Union armies. Grant made Sherman the head of the Army of the Mississippi. The year was 1864, and it was time for the next U.S election. It was Republican incumbent Abraham Lincoln vs. Democrat opponent George B. McClellan. Lincoln was determined to end the war with a Union victory, while McClellan aimed to make a peace with the CSA. Lincoln needed a knockout blow to the Confederates in order to secure his victory in the election. Sherman was given this task, and decided to make Georgia his target. In the spring of 1864, Sherman invaded Georgia from Tennessee with 60,000 men. He advanced into Georgia, being stopped briefly by Joseph E. Johnston at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, but continued to advance. Confederate forces led by John Bell Hood attempted to push him out in July, but the Confederates were repulsed. Sherman took Atlanta on September 2nd, 1864 without a fight. Sherman had previously ordered all citizens to evacuate the city, and he and his men proceeded to burn down all government and military buildings in the city. The capture of Atlanta secured Lincoln's victory.
Sherman pressed on, determined to reach the Atlantic. General Hood threatened his March, however, as his army tried to retake Tennessee to cut off Sherman's armies. Sherman continued to move onwards, determined to "Make Georgia Howl". Eventually, he was to forced to divert some of his men North to deal with Hood, however, and obliterated Hood's army at the Battle of Franklin on November 30th and at the Battle of Nashville from December 15th-16th. He then continued on with his other armies South, living off the land and destroying Southern infrastructure by tying up railroads and blowing up ammunition storages. His armies took Savannah on December 21st. He wrote a letter to President Lincoln offering the city as a Christmas gift.
With Georgia captured, Grant requested for Sherman and his armies to be shipped north to aid Grant in Virginia, but Sherman instead wanted to move onwards into South Carolina. Sherman persuaded Grant, and pushed on to take Columbia. Sherman especially wanted to take South Carolina, as it was the first state to secede the Union, meaning that if the state was captured, it would result in a dramatic loss of morale for the Confederates. Upon marching North to Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, Sherman faced minimal resistance from Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate armies. Columbia was captured on February 17th, 1865, and fires began in the city the night of the capture. Historians aren't sure who started the fire, whether it was accidental, Sherman's forces, or Johnston's troops lighting fire to Ammunition depots so that the Yankees couldn't take them. It virtually destroyed the city.
Johnston retreated into North Carolina, and Sherman decided to push on to eradicate the remnants of his forces. Once his forces entered North Carolina, Sherman and his forces did not intentionally burn down or destroy infrastructure as they felt that North Carolina was almost forced into joining the CSA (they were the last state to secede from the Union). Sherman defeated Johnston at the Battle of Bentonville from March 19th to the 21st. Following the battle, Sherman went to City Point, Virginia, where he met with Grant and Lincoln, the only time in which all three men were at the same place at the same time.
Following Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse which resulted in the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia and the capitulation of all of Virginia for that matter, Sherman began peace negotiations with Johnston at Bennet Place in Durham, North Carolina. Sherman initially offered generous terms to the Confederates, similar to what Lincoln had in mind for the South following the war, but Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, disagreed and refused to accept the terms. Despite this, Johnston, against the orders of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, agreed to surrender to Sherman on April 26th, 1865, resulting in the official surrender of all Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.
Sherman later became the Head of the United States Armed Forces under President Ulysses S. Grant, meaning that he did participate in the Indian Wars in the West. Sherman died on February 14th, 1891 at the age of 71. Sherman is sometimes regarded as the first Modern general due to his strategy of Total War against the South.
