William T. Sherman

William T. Sherman
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Name	William T. Sherman
Caption	Sherman in 1865
Birth date	8 February 1820
Death date	14 February 1891
Birth place	Lancaster, Ohio
Death place	New York City
Placeofburial	Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis
Allegiance	United States, United States
Branch	United States
Serviceyears	1840–1853, 1861–1884
Rank	25px Major General (USA), 25px General of the Army
Commands	XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee, Military Division of the Mississippi
Battles	American Civil War, • First Battle of Bull Run, • Battle of Shiloh, • Siege of Vicksburg, • Chattanooga Campaign, • Atlanta Campaign, • Sherman's March to the Sea, • Carolinas Campaign
Laterwork	Commanding General of the U.S. Army (1869–1883)

William T. Sherman was a prominent United States Army officer whose command of military strategy during the American Civil War cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in Union victory. Rising to prominence under Ulysses S. Grant, he is best known for his "total war" doctrine and his devastating March to the Sea through Georgia and the Carolinas. After the war, he served as Commanding General of the United States Army and became a enduring, though controversial, symbol of relentless warfare.

Early life and career

Born in Lancaster, Ohio, he was named after the famed Shawnee leader Tecumseh. After his father's death, he was raised by family friend Thomas Ewing, a prominent Whig senator. Sherman received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1840. He saw limited action during the Mexican–American War, serving in administrative posts in California. Frustrated by peacetime military life, he resigned his commission in 1853 to pursue a series of unsuccessful business ventures, including banking in San Francisco and law in Leavenworth, before briefly serving as superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy, later Louisiana State University.

Civil War service

Initially doubting the North's resolve, Sherman re-entered the army after the Battle of Fort Sumter. He commanded a brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run and, after a period of service in Kentucky, fought under Grant at the Battle of Shiloh, a brutal experience that hardened his views. His performance during the Siege of Vicksburg and the Chattanooga Campaign solidified his partnership with Grant. In 1864, after Grant departed for the Eastern Theater, Sherman assumed command of the Military Division of the Mississippi. His Atlanta Campaign captured the critical city of Atlanta, providing a massive boost to Abraham Lincoln's re-election campaign. He then conducted his infamous Sherman's March to the Sea, aiming to break the Confederacy's will by destroying its economic and psychological resources. This campaign culminated in the capture of Savannah and was followed by a destructive drive north through the Carolinas, accepting the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's army at Bennett Place in April 1865.

Postwar years and legacy

Promoted to General of the Army, Sherman succeeded Grant as Commanding General of the United States Army in 1869, a post he held for fourteen years. He oversaw the army's role in the Indian Wars, advocating a harsh policy against Plains tribes to enable railroad expansion and western settlement. He famously refused all entreaties to run for President, stating "If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve." His legacy is complex, revered in the North as a decisive war hero and reviled in the South as a ruthless destroyer. His strategies are studied in military academies worldwide and his memoirs remain a classic of military literature.

Personal life and family

In 1850, Sherman married his foster sister, Ellen Ewing Sherman, daughter of his guardian Thomas Ewing. They had eight children, though their marriage was often strained by his military absences and her devout Catholicism. Their son, Thomas Ewing Sherman, became a Jesuit priest. Another son, Philemon Tecumseh Sherman, practiced law in New York City. Following Ellen's death in 1888, Sherman moved to New York City, where he died in 1891. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, alongside his wife and several children.

Views on war and strategy

Sherman is a foundational theorist of modern total war, believing conflict should target an enemy's economic infrastructure and civilian morale to hasten its end. His philosophy was encapsulated in his declaration that "war is hell" and in his correspondence with the mayor and councilmen of Atlanta defending his harsh measures. He argued that swift, severe campaigns ultimately saved lives by preventing protracted conflict, a view central to his March to the Sea and his subsequent campaigns. His concepts of psychological warfare and deep penetration into enemy territory influenced later military thinkers and 20th-century doctrines.