lived from 1820-1891
William Tecumseh Sherman engaged in some battles with
Seminole Indians in his pre-
Civil War days, however his exploits during the
Civil War are what he is remembered primarily for today.
After a stint in the
army from 1840 to 1853 in which he primarily fought
Seminole Indians and hung around as an administrative officer, Sherman resigned from the army and attempted to succeed in the world of
business. He didn't do to well at that, so some friends of his (of all people, the famed
Southern Generals Braxton Bragg and
P. G. T. Beauregard) got him employment at a
military academy in
Louisiana. When
Louisiana left the
Union and the
Civil War broke out in 1861, he resigned and headed
North, since he was very much devoted to the
Union.
He convinced his brother, a
senator, to get him an appointment to the
Army as a
colonel, and wound up under the command of
General Irvin McDowell.
McDowell, who was a fairly bad general, commanded the
Union army at the first
Battle of Bull Run. Well, the
Union was very soundly trounced at this battle (some people think that they were defeated so badly, if the South had pushed on, they might have been able to take
Washington). Sherman was promoted to
General in spite of the horrible disaster at
Bull Run, however the failure really freaked him out, and he was convinced that he had no business commanding anyone. He begged and begged
President Abraham Lincoln to not give him an independent command, but the
President did anyway.
Sherman was really nervous, frightened, and terribly concerned that he would fail, and he requested so many men from his superiors to combat an
opponent whose number he had drastically inflated in his head, his superiors thought he was crazy. He lost that command right quick.
He served under General
Ulysses S. Grant at the
Battle of Shiloh and then at the
Siege of Vicksburg, and did quite well. He was promoted again, and given command of the Army of the Tennessee, and this time he didn't
screw up. He did very well, and, when
Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the
boss of the entire
Union army, Sherman was made commander of the military division of the Mississippi.
Now this is where it gets interesting: at this point he began his
invasion of
Georgia; he took his men to march to the sea. He and his men marched deep into
Confederate territory with the intent of riving the
Confederacy in twain. Obviously, he didn't have access to the
Union's supply lines, so he and his men
raided,
stole, and lived off of the land. This is one of the best examples of
Total War: they brought the
Civil War to the doorsteps of the citizens of the
Confederacy. They demolished
factories,
railroad lines, and entire
cities, wreaking
havoc where ever they tread. Sherman and his
army effectively destroyed the
South's warmaking capabilities and attempted to terrorize its populace to the point where they could no longer bear to continue the
war.
After the
war ended, Sherman was promoted again. When
Ulysses S. Grant became
president later on, Sherman was made commanding
general of the entire
army. Later on, though he was a war hero and perhaps could have won easily, he declined all invitation to run for office, and he said that if he were nominated for
president, he would refuse. Nowadays, "taking a Sherman" or "pulling a Sherman" is tantamount to refusing nomination.