The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman

The Memoirs of W. T. Sherman
By William Tecumseh Sherman

Time travel is fun. Some authors are extraordinary for being able to transport you to another time period. Some authors don’t have to transport you to another time because they are already from another time.

A few years back I found myself reading the Memoirs of U. S. Grant. It seemed that for a few months I kept running into statements claiming that General Grant had written the finest set of memoirs ever penned by a Unites States President. I took and plunge and discovered a fascinating life described in a beautiful clear lucid prose. Grant could write!

I only mention Grant’s memoirs because they were the incentive to tackle General Sherman’s memoirs as well. Much to my surprise (though I don’t know why I was surprised) I discovered that Sherman could also write. The prose is a bit wordy but straightforward, clear, and penetrating. You can see how such thinking made a real difference in the outcome of the Civil War.

There is something beautiful and simple about reading Sherman’s accounts of the war and the times. He tells of captured officers being invited to dine with the Union commanders and offered horses to ride befitting their rank. At other times he muses about how cavalry can never overcome infantry but will always be necessary for a successful war campaign. He talks about the need for a good supply of coffee and discusses the merits of some coffee substitutes.

You also discover that General Sherman did more than march through Georgia. During the Mexican American War he was stationed in California. This assignment placed him in the bay area in 1848 when gold was discovered at Sutter’s mill. Later he managed a bank in San Francisco when the vicissitudes of the gold rush created severe panic as well as boom times. It would surprise many to learn that when Lincoln was elected Sherman was leading a small military school in Louisiana that would later become LSU.

Anyone who has even a passing interest in this period of American history will find this a fascinating read. There is much to feast on here. My two favorite moments are probably Sherman’s encouragement likely keeping Grant from resigning after Shiloh and the striking circumstances surrounding Sherman being notified of Lincoln’s assassination.

It’s a fairly long book and filled with a lot of source material such as letters and battle reports, but altogether a book well worth reading.