William Tecumseh Sherman was one of the most important Union generals of the American Civil War and the man most responsible for bringing the war to the South in a way that the Southern people could not ignore. He is best remembered for his famous March to the Sea in 1864, in which he led his army through Georgia, destroying farms, railways and supplies along the way. His approach to war was harsh and controversial, but it helped bring the Civil War to an end.
William Tecumseh Sherman’s Early Life
William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8th, 1820 CE in Lancaster, Ohio. His father, Charles Sherman, was a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court and a man who admired the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, which is why he gave his son that unusual middle name. When William was just nine years old, his father died, leaving his mother with eleven children and very little money. The family was split up, with each child going to live with different relatives or family friends. William went to live with Thomas Ewing, a powerful and wealthy Ohio politician who was a friend of the family. Ewing treated William well and gave him a good education. As such, despite losing his father at a young age, Sherman grew up in a comfortable and well-connected home that gave him many opportunities.
When Sherman was sixteen, Ewing used his political connections to get him a place at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Sherman did well at West Point and graduated near the top of his class in 1840 CE. After graduation he was sent to fight in the Second Seminole War in Florida and later spent several years stationed in Georgia and South Carolina. Unlike many of his fellow officers, Sherman did not fight in the Mexican-American War. He was sent to California instead, where he spent several years in an administrative role. He had little combat experience compared to many future Civil War generals, which frustrated him. He resigned from the army in 1853 CE and tried working as a banker in San Francisco, but this did not go well. He later managed a military school in Louisiana called the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, which is now known as Louisiana State University. When Louisiana left the Union in 1861 CE, Sherman resigned and returned north.
William Tecumseh Sherman and the Early Civil War
When the Civil War broke out in April of 1861 CE, Sherman rejoined the Union army as a colonel. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861 CE, where the Union army was badly beaten by Confederate forces. The defeat shook Sherman deeply and he struggled with stress and anxiety in the months that followed. At one point the newspapers reported that he was unfit for command. With that said, he kept working and slowly rebuilt his confidence.
Sherman’s friendship with Ulysses S. Grant proved to be one of the most important relationships of the war. The two men worked very well together and trusted each other completely. Sherman fought alongside Grant at the Battle of Shiloh in April of 1862 CE, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. He was wounded during the fighting but stayed in command. He also played a major role in the campaign to capture Vicksburg in 1863 CE, which gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two. After Vicksburg, Sherman was promoted and given command of larger forces. As such, his close partnership with Grant helped him grow into one of the most important Union commanders in the western part of the war.
William Tecumseh Sherman and the Atlanta Campaign
In March of 1864 CE, Grant was made commander of all Union armies and moved east to fight Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Sherman replaced Grant as commander of Union forces in the west. He now had around 100,000 soldiers under his command and a clear goal: to push south into Georgia and attack the Confederate army commanded by General Joseph Johnston.
The Atlanta Campaign lasted through the spring and summer of 1864 CE. Sherman and Johnston fought a long series of battles as Johnston slowly fell back toward Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta was one of the most important cities in the South. It was a major railway hub, which is a central point where many railway lines meet, and it produced weapons and supplies for the Confederate army. Capturing Atlanta would be a major blow to the Confederacy. When Confederate President Jefferson Davis became frustrated with Johnston’s constant retreating, he replaced him with General John Bell Hood, who attacked Sherman directly. Hood’s attacks failed and Sherman surrounded Atlanta. The city fell to Sherman on September 2nd, 1864 CE. The capture of Atlanta was one of the most important Union victories of the war. It came at exactly the right time, just weeks before the presidential election of November 1864 CE, and helped Abraham Lincoln win re-election by showing the Northern public that the war was being won.
William Tecumseh Sherman and the March to the Sea
After capturing Atlanta, Sherman made a bold decision. He cut his army loose from its supply lines and marched southeast through Georgia toward the port city of Savannah on the Atlantic Ocean. This campaign became known as Sherman’s March to the Sea. He set out in November of 1864 CE with around 62,000 soldiers.
Sherman’s goal was to destroy everything in Georgia that could help the Confederacy keep fighting. His soldiers tore up railway lines and twisted the metal rails around trees, which became known as Sherman’s neckties. They burned warehouses, factories and farm supplies. They lived off food taken from farms and plantations along the route. Sherman believed that if he could make the Southern people feel the hardship of war in their own homes, they would lose the will to keep fighting. He later described this approach by saying that war is hell and that the fastest way to end it was to make it so painful that people demanded peace. Historians call this approach total war, which means targeting not just the enemy’s army but also its economy and the will of its people.
The march caused enormous damage and suffering across Georgia. Sherman’s army cut a path roughly 60 miles wide and 285 miles long from Atlanta to Savannah. Sherman reached Savannah in December of 1864 CE and the city surrendered without a major fight. He sent a famous message to President Lincoln saying: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.” Sherman then turned his army north into South Carolina and North Carolina, causing even more widespread destruction as he pushed toward the remaining Confederate forces.
William Tecumseh Sherman’s Death and Legacy
The war ended in April of 1865 CE when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia and the remaining Confederate forces in the south surrendered to Sherman shortly after. Sherman continued to serve in the United States Army after the war, eventually becoming its commanding general. He turned down several offers to run for president, reportedly saying that if nominated he would not run and if elected he would not serve. He retired from the army in 1883 CE and died in New York City on February 14th, 1891 CE at the age of seventy-one.
William Tecumseh Sherman is remembered as one of the most important and most debated generals in American history. His supporters point to his brilliant use of strategy and his role in helping end the Civil War. For instance, British military historian B.H. Liddell Hart called him “the first modern general” because of the way he used his army to attack the enemy’s economy and way of life rather than just its soldiers. His critics, especially in the South, remember the March to the Sea as a campaign of destruction that caused terrible suffering for ordinary people who had nothing to do with the decisions of their political leaders. To this day, Sherman is still a controversial figure in the American South. Regardless, his leadership in 1864 and 1865 CE was a major factor in ending the Civil War and keeping the United States together as one country.
