Shermans march to the sea also known as the savannah campaign or simply shermans march was a military campaign of the american civil war conducted through georgia from november 15 until december 21, 1864, by maj. Grant, william mckinley, james garfield, and of course, rutherford b. The sherman house museum in lancaster, ohio is the birthplace of general william tecumseh sherman, his younger brother u. Commander, military division of the missouri, 18661869. There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell. Grant as commander of the western theater of that war in the spring of 1864. Grant in the battle of shiloh and the siege of vicksburg. Senator john sherman and home of the remarkable sherman family. William tecumseh sherman was a union general during the civil war, playing a. Praised for his revolutionary ideas on total warfare, william t. In december of 1860, future union general william tecumseh sherman was an exu. Shermans march to the sea took place from november 15 to december 22, 1864, during the american civil war.
As general in chief of united states armies and commander of what would now be called an army group, grant and sherman worked on a larger canvas than r. Shermans march to the sea in the american civil war. Like grant, he graduated from the military academy at west point. Perhaps best known for his 1864 march to the sea, william tecumseh cump sherman 18201891 was born in lancaster, ohio. Born in ohio in 1820 and orphaned when he was nine, william tecumseh sherman would attend west point, where he was considered one of the brightest and most popular fellows, yet much like his friend, ulysses s. Shermans fears about the war escalated when he was transferred to.
Sherman is the second best known of northern commanders. The family tree for general william tecumseh sherman is still in the early stages of research. He was a fascinating man and his own words illuminate his fiery personality. William tecumseh sherman achieved the rank of major general during the civil war. His father had died when he was nine years old, and sherman was raised by senator thomas ewing and eventually married into the family. Kids learn about the leading generals of the civil war for the union and the confederacy including ulysses s. Major general william tecumseh sherman fought for the union in.
He was promoted to general lieutenant general, 4 mar 1869. An accomplished soldier and able leader, sherman is best remembered for his scorched earth tactics during the atlanta, savannah, and. In recent weeks, activists have been retiring the confederate flag by burning it to symbolize the end of the civil war. General shermans brothers played an all important role during the civil war and benefited by keeping the political power, all in the family. Shermans father died when he was a young boy and he was raised by a politically prominent neighbor, attorney thomas ewing in lancaster, ohio. Oftentimes the family trees listed as still in progress have derived from research into famous people who have a kinship to this person. His father died in 1829, when he was adopted by thomas ewing, whose daughter ellen he married in 1850. In the wake of his successful campaign to capture atlanta, major general william t. William tecumseh sherman was a union general during the civil war, playing a crucial role in the victory over the confederate states and becoming one of the most famous military leaders in u. The family tree listed here should not be considered exhaustive or authoritative. Capturing atlanta in 1864, william sherman conducted a scorched earth march to savannah.
And even after the war, five different soldiers from that war from ohio went on to become president of the united states benjamin harrison, u. Army major who had lived in the south for just over a year. William tecumseh sherman 18201891 he never commanded in a major union victory and his military career had repeated ups and downs, but william t. William tecumseh sherman 18201891 was a union general during the civil war. Grant, sherman served as an effective corps commander before being given overall command in the west. Sherman was an irascible, unpredictably brilliant man and his letters bring out these myriad traits. A chronology of key events in the life of william t.
Capturing atlanta in 1864, william sherman conducted a. William tecumseh sherman had a lot in common with ulysses s. His mother, mary hoyt, came from the family of welltodo merchants. 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. Although a relatively obscure officer when the war started, by the end of 1864, everybody knew who sherman was. William tecumseh sherman american experience official. A better idea would be to unravel the legacy of two, socalled civil war heroes who are the reason there are so many unresolved issues from that conflict. William tecumseh sherman, american civil war general and a major architect of modern warfare. He was one of eleven children of ohio supreme court justice. He led an army of sixtytwo thousand men with thirtyfive thousand horses and twentyfive hundred wagons on an overland march to savannah on a mission to punish the south for its secession from the union. William tecumseh sherman, although not a career military commander.
William tecumseh sherman was an union commanding general in the civil war. William tecumseh sherman began his civil war career as a colonel of the th u. After the war, sherman remained in the military and eventually rose to the rank of full general, serving as generalinchief of the army from 1869 to 1883. William tecumseh sherman, born february 8, 1820, lancaster, ohio, u. William tecumseh sherman essential civil war curriculum. Named tecumseh in honour of the renowned shawnee chieftain. Sherman, william t sherman and his staffgeneral william tecumseh. Civil war union army leader known for shermans march, in which he and his troops laid waste to the south. William tecumseh sherman february 8, 1820 february 14, 1891 was an american soldier, businessman, educator, and author. William tecumseh sherman is one of the most famous generals in history, and one of the most hated in the south. William tecumseh sherman, american civil war general and a major architect of.
Sherman began making plans for a march against savannah. Shermans own 1875 memoirs are a mixed bag, marred by an overabundance of. Sherman, had attended dartmouth college and was a lawyer. Sherman faced off against confederate generals joseph e. Still, his march to the sea in 1864 was a success in its goal to cripple the confederate. He played a crucial role in the victory over the confederate. Up quotes of general sherman general sherman in the civil war pictures of general william t. The son of an ohio supreme court justice, sherman was born in lancaster, ohio, orphaned at nine and raised by a wealthy friend of his fathers, sen. He led union forces in crushing campaigns through the south, marching through georgia and the carolinas 186465. This was what sherman believed was the quickest solution to ending the war. After the civil war, sherman kept far way from any political office and instead wrote a brilliant account of the war. In 1875, ten years after the end of the civil war, sherman became one of the first civil war generals to publish a memoir. General shermans record as a tactician was mixed, and his military legacy rests primarily on his command of logistics and on his brilliance as a strategist.
Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285mile march from atlanta to savannah, georgia. He is best known for his actions in the civil war, where his performance was mixed. The american civil war produced nobody quite like william tecumseh sherman, the worlds first modern man of war. Lee and stonewall jacksonthe confederacys preeminent. William tecumseh sherman dispatched his appraisal to gen. 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. The sherman house is listed on the national register of historic places, civil war preservation trail and has been a memorial to the family since 1951. Throughout shermans campaigns through the south, sherman used a tactic that became known as total war. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation.
Now from november 15 until december 21, 1864, union general william t. Wm t shermans march through georgia did not happen until more than 2 years later. Sherman did not believe that defeating the armies of the south was enough to end the war quickly. William tecumseh sherman was born on february 8, 1820, in lancaster, ohio. William tecumseh sherman vicksburg national military. Civil war general who famously said, war is hell and proved it with a destructive campaign through the south that burned. Grant and william tecumseh sherman formed the most important and successful military partnership of the civil war. William tecumseh sherman 8 february 1820 14 february 1891 was a united states army general during the american civil war. Infantry regiment and ended his career as the commanding general of the united states army. Grant, success would allude himuntil civil war descended on the united states. William tecumseh sherman was a key union general during the civil war. William tecumseh shermans spoton prophecy about the. The influential 20th century british military historian and theorist basil liddell hart ranked sherman as one of the most important strategists in the annals of war, along with scipio africanus, belisarius, napoleon bonaparte, t.
Civil war union army leader known for shermans march, in which he and his troops laid waste to the. Donate today to preserve civil war battlefields and the nations history for generations to come. He led union forces in crushing campaigns through the south, marching through georgia and the carolinas 186465 early life and career. William tecumseh sherman 18201891 find a grave memorial. Sherman voting ends may 4 nonfiction history of the civil war.
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