Sherman's Memoirs are a detailed account of his life and military career, providing a firsthand perspective on many key events of the Civil War. First published in 1875 and later revised in 1886, the two-volume work is considered one of the most important personal narratives from the Civil War era. The Memoirs cover Sherman's early life, his experiences before the war, and his detailed recounting of the Civil War campaigns. He provides insights into his strategic thinking, the challenges he faced, and his interactions with other key figures of the time, including Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln. Sherman's writing style is straightforward and unembellished, reflecting his pragmatic and direct approach to both life and warfare. He defends his controversial tactics during the war, particularly his "March to the Sea," arguing that the harsh methods were necessary to bring about a swift end to the conflict and save lives in the long run.
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States. These are not only his complete memoirs, but also a perfect narrative and a thrilling account of the Civil War Years.
Remembered by history as the first modern general, William Tecumseh Sherman wrote his Memoirs ten years after the end of the Civil War. It served as a personal account of his experiences as a powerful Union general, and also as a history of the events that had taken place since the beginning of the Mexican War in 1846. He later reflected on his intentions in writing these Memoirs, stating his wish "to be a witness on the stand before the great tribunal of history." Upon its publication in 1875 the book received controversial reviews; Sherman was praised for his outstanding command of military strategy, but was also censured for his harsh "scorched earth" policies which he implemented against the Confederate forces. This first-hand account of military strategy and the hells of war is, most of all, a compelling narrative of one of the greatest tragedies in United States history.
Hailed as a prophet of modern war and condemned as a harbinger of modern barbarism, Sherman is the most controversial general of the Civil War. "War is cruelty, 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 and a fascinating, eerie account of the famous march through the Carolinas. sure the memoirs remained controversial. W. T. Sherman's memoirs are still controversial, even today. He is either a great general, or an overrated one. He is either "hailed as a prophet of modern war or condemned as a modern barbarism." The historical value of these memoirs is enormous. Sherman contributed a great deal to the war, and was partially responsible for the war ending when it did. He conducted one of the most brilliant military campaigns in modern history (actually, they were three campaigns--Atlanta, Savannah, and the Carolinas) and accomplished what many considered to be the impossible. His policy of total war, applied in the South, was utilized by Sheridan in the Shenandoah, and was later slightly modified to be used against the Indians. Thanks to his memoirs, we have a step-by-step account of how this policy developed. Sherman's work is engaging and very to the point. He is meticulous almost to a fault in his quest for accuracy and detail. His writing is very, very good, and easy to read. He endeavored to be objective in his evaluations. Quick to give praise and slow to censure, he was not afraid to record the failures of his subordinates. William T. Sherman is a very colorful figure in Civil War history. He may well be one of the most complex and intriguing individuals of the war. To some, he is a barbarian; to others, a deliverer. He is immensely quotable, and was very opinionated and outspoken. If you're contemplating studying the Civil War, do not be put off by this book's length. Far from being a dry account of a man's recollections, this is a very engaging and very worthwhile autobiography, and any student of the war will profit by reading it. Volume 2 covers the Atlanta Campaign (including Nashville, Chattanooga, Kennesaw Mountain, and other battles around Atlanta), the pursuit of General Hood, the "March to the Sea" from Atlanta to Savannah, chapters about Savannah and Pocotaligo, the Campaign of the Carolinas, the end of the war (from Goldsboro to Raleigh and Washington), and military lessons of the war, and the aftermath of the war.
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. “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. With the propulsive energy and intelligence that marked his campaigns, Sherman describes striking incidents and anecdotes and collects dozens of his incisive and often outspoken wartime orders and reports. This complex self-portrait of an innovative and relentless American warrior provides firsthand accounts of the war’s crucial events—Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Atlanta campaign, the marches through Georgia and the Carolinas. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 - February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the scorched earth policies he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States.Sherman began his Civil War career serving in the First Battle of Bull Run and Kentucky in 1861. He served under General Ulysses S. Grant in 1862 and 1863 during the battles of forts Henry and Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the campaigns that led to the fall of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, and the Chattanooga Campaign, which culminated with the routing of the Confederate armies in the state of Tennessee. In 1864, Sherman succeeded Grant as the Union commander in the western theater of the war. He proceeded to lead his troops to the capture of the city of Atlanta, a military success that contributed to the re-election of Abraham Lincoln. Sherman's subsequent march through Georgia and the Carolinas further undermined the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting. He accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865, after having been present at most major military engagements in the western theater.When Grant assumed the U.S. presidency in 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of the Army, in which capacity he served from 1869 until 1883. As such, he was responsible for the U.S. Army's engagement in the Indian Wars over the next 15 years. Sherman advocated total war against hostile Indians to force them back onto their reservations. He steadfastly refused to be drawn into politics and in 1875 published his Memoirs, one of the best-known first-hand accounts of the Civil War. British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart declared that Sherman was "the first modern general."EARLY LIFESherman was born in 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio, near the banks of the Hocking River. His father, Charles Robert Sherman, a successful lawyer who sat on the Ohio Supreme Court, died unexpectedly in 1829. He left his widow, Mary Hoyt Sherman, with eleven children and no inheritance. After his father's death, the nine-year-old Sherman was raised by a Lancaster neighbor and family friend, attorney Thomas Ewing, Sr., a prominent member of the Whig Party who served as senator from Ohio and as the first Secretary of the Interior. Sherman was distantly related to American founding father Roger Sherman and grew to admire him.Sherman's older brother Charles Taylor Sherman became a federal judge. One of his younger brothers, John Sherman, served as a U.S. senator and Cabinet secretary. Another younger brother, Hoyt Sherman, was a successful banker. Two of his foster brothers served as major generals in the Union Army during the Civil War: Hugh Boyle Ewing, later an ambassador and author, and Thomas Ewing, Jr., who would serve as defense attorney in the military trials of the Lincoln conspirators. Sherman would marry his foster sister, Ellen Boyle Ewing, at age 30 and have eight children with her.
Hailed as a prophet of modern war and condemned as a harbinger of modern barbarism, Sherman is the most controversial general of the Civil War. "War is cruelty, 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 and a fascinating, eerie account of the famous march through the Carolinas. sure the memoirs remained controversial. W. T. Sherman's memoirs are still controversial, even today. He is either a great general, or an overrated one. He is either "hailed as a prophet of modern war or condemned as a modern barbarism." The historical value of these memoirs is enormous. Sherman contributed a great deal to the war, and was partially responsible for the war ending when it did. He conducted one of the most brilliant military campaigns in modern history (actually, they were three campaigns--Atlanta, Savannah, and the Carolinas) and accomplished what many considered to be the impossible. His policy of total war, applied in the South, was utilized by Sheridan in the Shenandoah, and was later slightly modified to be used against the Indians. Thanks to his memoirs, we have a step-by-step account of how this policy developed. Sherman's work is engaging and very to the point. He is meticulous almost to a fault in his quest for accuracy and detail. His writing is very, very good, and easy to read. He endeavored to be objective in his evaluations. Quick to give praise and slow to censure, he was not afraid to record the failures of his subordinates. William T. Sherman is a very colorful figure in Civil War history. He may well be one of the most complex and intriguing individuals of the war. To some, he is a barbarian; to others, a deliverer. He is immensely quotable, and was very opinionated and outspoken. If you're contemplating studying the Civil War, do not be put off by this book's length. Far from being a dry account of a man's recollections, this is a very engaging and very worthwhile autobiography, and any student of the war will profit by reading it. Volume 2 covers the Atlanta Campaign (including Nashville, Chattanooga, Kennesaw Mountain, and other battles around Atlanta), the pursuit of General Hood, the "March to the Sea" from Atlanta to Savannah, chapters about Savannah and Pocotaligo, the Campaign of the Carolinas, the end of the war (from Goldsboro to Raleigh and Washington), and military lessons of the war, and the aftermath of the war.
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