"You might as well try to put out the burning flames of a house with a squirt gun, I think it is to be a long war, a very longer than any politician thinks."
William T. Sherman
All about Sherman
The son of a judge, "Cump" Sherman was 9 years old when his father died, and he was adopted by Thomas Ewing, an influential Missouri politician. Sherman graduated sixth in his class at West Point in 1840. As a staff officer in California during the Mexican War, he received a brevet for meritorious service, but he resigned from the army in 1853 and worked successively as a bank representative in San Francisco, a lawyer in Leavenworth, Kansas, the superintendent of a military academy at Pineville, Louisiana , and the president of a trolley company in St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1861, Sherman rejoined the military, and commanded a brigade at the 1st battle of Bull Run. In September, he was given command of the Kentucky Army. He frequently fought with the press. Lincoln scorned Sherman for ousting reporters from the camp. After a nervous breakdown, he was transferred to a post in Missouri.
Although largely ineffective during 1862-1863, he played an important role in Grant's victory of Vicksburg. When Grant was given overall command, Sherman was given command of all of the Western Forces, amounting to over 100,000 men. He began his campaign for Atlanta from Dalton, Georgia. Sherman was soundly defeated at Kenesaw mountain, but went on to capture Atlanta. He marched with his forces 80 KM wide, and used "scorch-earth tactics" exposing the undefended Georgia country side during his famous march to the sea on November 16 to the December 22nd, 1864. His forces raped and pillaged the country side until the capture of Savannah, after which the same tactics were used through the Carolinas. In early 1865, after the victory at Bentonville, Johnston at Durham Station, North Carolina in April.
After the war, Sherman was promoted to Full General in 1869, which he remained until 1883. He, like Grant, wrote personal memoirs, that became among the keenest, and most intellectual of the war. In 1881 Sherman established a school in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He refused all offers to serve any political means.
