Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)

Name:

Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)

Title:

Major General, U.S. Army
General of the Army
Phi Kappa Psi (honorary member)
Irving Literary Society (honorary member)

Other Names:

Cump
Uncle Billy (by troops)

Born:

02/08/1820

Birthplace:

Lancaster, OH

Died:

02/14/1891

Death Location:

New York, NY

Residence:

St. Louis, MO
New York, NY
Sanfrancisco, CA
Leavenworth, KS

Nationality:

American

Occupation:

Army officer
Businessman
Educator
Author

Father:

Charles Robert Sherman (09/26/1788-06/24/1829)

Mother:

Mary Hoyt Sherman

Relations:

Ulysses S. Grant (commander/friend)
Abraham Lincoln
Roger Sherman (distant relative)
Thomas Ewing (guardian)
George H. Thomas (West Point roommate/friend)
Senator John Sherman (brother)

Spouse:

Elenor Boyle Ewing (10/04/1824-11/28/1888; m 1864)

Children:

Marie Ewing Sherman
William Sherman (1854-1863)
Charles Celestine Sherman (d. c12/1864)
Elenor Sherman
Thomas Ewing Sherman
6
7
Philemon Tecumseh Sherman

Notes:

Father died suddenly in 1829.
WTS sent to live with Thomas Ewing (family friend).
Ewing secured William a post to West Point at age 16.
Excelled academically at West Point. Graduated sixth in class due to demerits for sloppy dress.
Entered Army as 2nd Leiutennant, 3rd US Artillery.
Fought in Second Seminole War in Florida.
Stationed in Georgia and South Carolina, popular in high social circles.
Missed combat during Mexican War, performed administrative duties in California.
Arrived in captured town Yerba Buena two days before it became San Francisco.
Accompanied Military Governor of California on confirmation inspection of the discovery of Gold in CA (1848).
Assisted in surveying subdivisions for the future Sacremento.
Brevit promotion to Captain for "meritous service" (1850), but resigned commission due to lack of combat assignments (1853).
Became Manager of San Francisco brance of a St. Louis-based bank.
Survived two shipwrecks and floated through the Golden Gate on overturned hull of a sinking lumber schooner.
Suffered from stress-related asthma.
Served briefly as Major General of CA Militia (1856).
Bank CA branch closed, relocated to NY for same bank. Bank failed in 1857 panic, Sherman closed NY branch, cleaned up CA affairs.
Moved to Leavenworth, KS, 1858, attempted several new professions, all unsuccessfully.
Became first superintendant of Louisiana state Seminary of Learning Military Academy, in Pineville, LA, 1859-1861.
Effective and popular leader of the institution.
On hearing of South Carolina's secession from Union, predicted that the war would not end well for the South after it ran itself out of resources.
Resigned superintendancy 01/1861 when required to recieve receipt of arms surrendered to State Militia by US Arsenal at Baton Rouge.
Met with Lincoln in the White House and expressed concern over the lack of preparedness in the North.
President of St. Louis Railroad (1861).
Declined in early April posting to War Department that would have led him to become Assistant Secretary of War.
Rediculed Lincoln's call for 75,000 3-month volunteers.
Offered services to regular army in May, 1861.
Commissioned as Colonel, 13th US Infantry Regiment, effective 05/14/1861.
Distinguished himself at First Battle of Bull Run, wounded twice.
Battle led Sherman to question judgement as an officer and capability of volunteer troops.
Sherman impressed Lincoln while latter was visiting the troops on 07/23, promoted to brigadier general of volunteers (effective 05/17/1861). Assigned to Department of the Cumberland under Gen Anderson, became commander of DotC in October.
Sherman considered the new position a violation of promise from Lincoln that he would not be given a prominent position.
Severely pessimistic over abilities of Command during fall of 1861, lead to nervous breakdown requiring brief leave to recuperate.
Cincinati Commercial described him as "insane".
Returned to active duty in mid-December.
Provided logistical support for Grant to capture Fort Donelson.
Assigned to command 5th Division, Army of West Tennesee under Grant (03/01/1862).
Dismissed intelligence report before Battle of Shiloh of Confederate movement, caught by surprise by attack. Rallied Division and conducted fighting withdrawl to cover Union Army. Prevented rout, and became instrumental to the Union counterattack. Wounded twice and had three horses shot out from under him.
Promoted to major General of volunteers, effective 05/01/1862.
Participated in the Siege of Corinth (04/29-05/30/1862).
Late May, persuaded Grant to not resign over conflict with their commanding officer.
Became Military Governor of Memphis, 07/1862.
Newspaper decried Grant-Sherman team during Vicksburg Campaign.
Suffered defeat at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, (12/26-29/1862).
Participated in Battle of Fort Hindman, (01/09-11/1863).
Expressed reservations over grant's unortodox strategy for the Vicksburg campaign, spring, 1863, but performed well under Grant.
Given rank of brigadier general in regular army in addition to rank in volunteers after capture of Vicksburg.
Family visited at camp outside Vicksburg in July, 1863, where son William caught Typhoid fever and died.
Accidentally arrived at Battle of Collierville, 10/11/1863: took command of garrisson and repulsed Confederate attack.
Succeded Grant's command of Army of the Tennesee when Grant became CinC in the west, 10/1863.
Participated in Chattanooga Campaign.
Inflicted heavy damage to Confederate infrastructure during Battle of Meridian, 02/14-20/1864.
Grant appointed Sheman sucessor to command Military Division of the Mississippi, spring 1864, Sherman then invaded Georgia.
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (06/27/1864) netted tactical defeat for Sherman.
Promoted to major general in the regular army in August.
Captured Atlanta, GA, 09/02/1864. Ordered majority of civilians out of city that month.
09-10/1864, spent hunting General Hood in north Georgia.
Ordered all military and Government buildings in Atlanta burned in November. Subsequently began March to the Sea, resulting in an estimated $100,000,000 in property damage.
Captured Savannah, GA, 12/21/1864, and offered the city to Lincoln as a Christmas present.
Bill introduced in Congress to promote Sherman to Lt General, which Sherman adamantly opposed, not wanting to replace Grant.
While in Savannah, learned from a newspaper that son Charles had died.
Grant Wanted Sherman to ship his army North to join in the campaign against Lee, but Sherman persuaded him to let him march north through the Carolinas.
Army averaged 12 miles a day through swampy terrain.
Captured Columbia, SC 02/17/1865. Fires burned much of the city overnight, though who set them is debateable.
Army did little damage to North Carolina.
Won last major engagement, Battle of Bentonville, 03/19-21/1865.
Rendevouzed with Union troops at Goldsborough, NC.
Met with Grant and Lincoln at City Point, VA, in late March.
Accepted surrender of Confederate troops in NC, SC, GA and Fl by Gen. Johnston. Largest surrender of Confederate troops in the war.
Marched 60,000 of his troops in the Grand Review of the Armies, 05/24/1865, after which they were disbanded.
06/1865: given command of the Military Division of the Mississippi (later the Military Division of the Missouri).
07/25/1866 Promoted to Lt General.
Promoted to General of the Army and became Commanding General of the United States Army when grant became President in 1869.
Served as interim Secretary of War (09/07-10/24/1869).
Established the Command School at Fort Leavenworth (now Command and General Staff College).
As CinCUSA, Sherman favored being very harsh in dealing with warring tribes on Native Americans on the plains, but was vocal against the unfair treatment of the tribes on the reservations.
Attributed quote "War is Hell." may be from one of two addresses given 06/19/1879 and 04/11/1880.
Stepped down as Commanding General, 11/01/1883.
Retired from Army, 02/08/1884.
Dedicated to theater and amature arts post-retirement.
Popular speaker, fond of quoting Shakespeare.
Maintained contact with war veterans.
Proposed Republican candidate for President, 1884, refused.