Major General William Tecumseh Sherman

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman
Name	William Tecumseh Sherman
Caption	Major General William Tecumseh Sherman
Birth date	February 8, 1820
Birth place	Lancaster, Ohio
Death date	February 14, 1891
Death place	New York City, New York
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Rank	Major General
Spouse	Ellen Ewing Sherman

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman was a senior United States Army officer best known for his command during the American Civil War and his implementation of "scorched earth" campaigns. Renowned for his Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea, Sherman influenced Union strategy, Reconstruction policy, and later Indian Wars operations. His career intersected with leading figures such as Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, George H. Thomas, Philip Sheridan, and Edward McPherson.

Early life and education

William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio into a family connected to Charles Sherman and Mary Hoyt Sherman. After the death of his father, he was raised in the household of Thomas Ewing Sr., which linked him to the Ewing family and introduced him to figures like Thomas Ewing Jr. and Samuel D. Ingham. Sherman attended local schools in Ohio and studied at Dublin, Ohio academies before gaining an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. At West Point he associated with classmates including George B. McClellan, Richard S. Ewell, and Pierre G. T. Beauregard and graduated into the United States Army’s artillery and engineering branches. Post-graduation, Sherman served in garrisons at posts linked to Cumberland Gap, Fort Leavenworth, and other antebellum installations.

Military career before the Civil War

Sherman’s antebellum career encompassed roles in the United States Army, commercial ventures, and public office. He resigned from the Army and worked with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the Bank of Commerce in New York City, interacting with figures such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and institutions like the New York Stock Exchange. Sherman later served as superintendent of the Saint Louis High School and as headmaster at St. Louis University School, connecting him to Francis Preston Blair Jr. and Thomas Hart Benton. He returned to finance and law briefly, engaging with the Chicago banking community, the San Francisco legal scene, and acquaintances including William Tecumseh Sherman (relatives) and Ellen Ewing before the outbreak of national crisis.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Sherman joined the Union war effort under the influence of Abraham Lincoln and Edwin M. Stanton. He initially served in the Western Theater and fought at the Battle of Shiloh alongside commanders like Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell. Sherman commanded troops in the Vicksburg Campaign, cooperating with John A. Logan and James B. McPherson, and later led the Atlanta Campaign in coordination with George H. Thomas and Joseph Hooker. His 1864 March to the Sea devastated infrastructure between Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, culminating in the Siege of Savannah and negotiations with William J. Hardee and Pierre G. T. Beauregard-era veterans. In 1865 Sherman conducted the Carolinas Campaign, confronting forces under John Bell Hood and engaging at the Battle of Bentonville before meeting with William T. Sherman—(note: name avoided per linking rules)—and coordinating final operations that paralleled Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Postwar career and Reconstruction role

After the war Sherman supported aspects of Reconstruction policy and maintained correspondence with Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, and Salmon P. Chase. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army where he influenced responses to the Colfax Massacre, the Ku Klux Klan insurgency, and issues involving freedmen and federal authority. Sherman oversaw troops in the South and adapted military policy during administration transitions, interacting with figures such as Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Butler, and Oliver O. Howard. Later he was involved in decisions related to the Nez Perce War and operations during the Indian Wars, coordinating with officers including Nelson A. Miles and George Crook.

Personal life and beliefs

Sherman married Ellen Ewing of the Ewing family and maintained close relations with Catholic circles connected to St. Louis University and Jesuit educators. His letters reveal friendships and disputes with Ulysses S. Grant, Edwin V. Sumner, and George B. McClellan, and reflect views on figures like Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Alexander H. Stephens, and Salmon P. Chase. Sherman’s memoir and correspondence engaged with contemporary writers including Mark Twain and historians such as James Ford Rhodes. He expressed complex attitudes toward slavery, emancipation, and civil rights, influenced by interactions with leaders like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Thaddeus Stevens.

Legacy and historical assessment

Sherman’s legacy has been debated by historians such as Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, T. Harry Williams, James M. McPherson, and John Keegan. His tactical innovations informed later doctrine at institutions like the United States Military Academy and the Command and General Staff College, and influenced officers including Harry S. Truman-era strategists and William Westmoreland. Memorials to Sherman include statues in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, place names such as Sherman, Texas and the Sherman County iterations, and entries in works by William S. Dudley and Gordon Rhea. Controversies over his conduct in Georgia and the Carolinas have prompted reassessments by scholars like Beverly Bond and debates in public history forums, including preservation efforts at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and discussions around Confederate monuments involving entities like the National Park Service and Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Union Army generals Category:People from Lancaster, Ohio