Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman — Volume 2

by William T. Sherman

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: History, Biography, Civil War, Memoir

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

Appointed commander of all Union troops in the west in 1864, William Tecumseh Sherman, American general, captured Atlanta and led the destructive "march to the sea," which effectively cut the Confederacy in two.

People almost entirely burned the city of Atlanta on 15 November 1864 before the start of march of William Tecumseh Sherman, Union general, to the sea.

This soldier, businessman, and author educated. He served in the Army during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 and received recognition for his outstanding of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the total "scorched earth" policies that he implemented and conducted against the states. Military historian Basil Liddell Hart famously declared Sherman "the first modern general".

Sherman served under Ulysses Simpson Grant in 1862 and 1863 during the campaigns that, alongside the fall of the stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, culminated with the routing of the armies in the state of Tennessee. In 1864, Sherman succeeded Grant in the theater of the war. He proceeded to the city with a military success that contributed to the reelection of Abraham Lincoln, president. Sherman subsequently through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina further undermined the ability to continue fighting. He accepted the surrender of all the armies in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865.

With Grant as president, Sherman then succeeded him of the army from 1869 to 1883. He responsibly conducted the wars against Native Americans in the states. He steadfastly refused draw into politics and in 1875 published his Memoirs of the best-known firsthand accounts of the Civil War.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read/listened to most of this volume (from about p. 100-end). Doing so after Grant's memoirs shows the stark difference in writing style and book presentation. While Grant chose to include most correspondence as an appendix, and kept it limited to just a handful, it seems like every single army order, telegram, letter, and newspaper snippet that proved Sherman's point was included. I think he would have benefited from more descriptive writing in this respect instead of page after page of letters/telegrams back and forth. Not to say that he is a poor writer, but perhaps could have used a better editor.

My favorite story which he relates is when the Civil War was near the end and what happened after he and Grant went to see Lincoln on a boat off the coast of Virginia.

p.325
Having made a good, long, social visit, we took our leave and returned to General Grant's quarters, where Mrs. Grant had provided tea. While at the table, Mrs. Grant inquired if we had seen Mrs. Lincoln. "No," said the general, "I did not ask for her;" and I added that I did not even know that she was on board. Mrs. Grant then exclaimed, "Well, you are a pretty pair!" and added that our neglect was unpardonable; when the general said we would call again the next day, and make amends for the unintended slight.

Early the next day, March 28th,... we again started to visit Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln. ... we were again received most courteously by the President, who conducted us to the after-cabin. After the general compliments, General Grant inquired after Mrs. Lincoln, when the President went to her state-room, returned, and begged us to excuse her, as she was not well.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this book I found absolutely fascinating. I loved hearing Sherman's take on his March to the Sea. It is not one I would recommend for people not totally familiar with the Civil War. It is my favorite thing to teach, and yet there were places in the book I was confused. He refers to a lot of generals with the assumption that people know who they were and what side they were on (a reasonable assumption for people reading in the 1880s). Some of them I did; many of them I didn't. There were a couple of places I got bogged down with detail, but other things interested me that I wasn't expecting -- like his commentary about how an army should be run. I LOVED reading his version of the events that led up to Johnson's impeachment. I also enjoyed finding quotes that I use in my classroom, and finding out where they originated.

Great read.

[leslie spero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Great man. Great life. He was the best General in the war. Aggressive, yet cautious..

And his pre and post Army life was truly accomplished. A fun read for the Civil War buff and a great re at following week on to Grant's memoirs

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading The March by E. L. Doctorow, I was curious to know what Gen. Sherman himself thought about the destruction he worked upon the south, so I started reading his memoirs. He didn't actually say much about the march in his memoirs, just stated his opinion that the south started the war, and he was going to make them feel it.

Even though I never learned what I wanted to know, the memoirs were fascinating. Sherman retired from the army, spent time in California during the gold rush and settle down in Louisiana as head of a military academy when war became apparent. He resigned his job, took up his commission in the army and became a soldier again.

The bulk of the book takes place during the war years, and his memories of the war are fascinating. I am sure Civil War buffs (of which I am not), salivate at his detailed descriptions of various battles and letters back and forth between him and other officers. I confess they bored me stiff and I skipped a lot. They are stiffly written in military-speak, and I didn't find them very interesting. There were other descriptions that were interesting, including an account of the death of his son the deeply touch the reader.

After the war my interest picked up as Sherman became embroiled in politics and found himself going back and forth between President Johnson and General Grant. He was very uncomfortable in this position and extricated himself as quickly as possible. He liked Washington D.C. as a city, but loathed the politics.

He ends the book with his retirement from active duty, and one must consult other sources to find out about his activities after retirement. One remarkable statement of his was in response to an attempt in 1884 to place him on the Republican ballot as president, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected." It doesn't get more emphatic than that.

He died of pneumonia seven years after retirement at age 71. He served his country proudly and felt he had nothing to apologize for.

[Eric Atkisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than I expected, and well worth reading for anyone interested in the Civil War. The majority of the memoirs are appropriately devoted to the Civil War, with a few chapters in the beginning about Sherman's early career in and out of the army, and a chapter at the end about his career after the war--which focuses mostly on his peripheral role in the political scandals and power struggles of the Johnson and Grant administrations. I'm glad I read it. It definitely added to my understanding of the war and some of the pivotal events in which Sherman participated.

One final note: The first volume of this free Kindle edition was very poorly formatted, but the second was much better.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Grant's memoirs are a more fluid read, Sherman's may actually be more insightful. His legendary bluntness is on display throughout. In addition to his front row account of the Civil War, Sherman shoes himself to be a first rate military theorist. He not only knows what wind, but also understand why and how. I read Grant's memoirs and then turned to Sherman's due to Grant's frequent citation of them. If I had it to do over again, I would only reverse the order. The two works together form nearly a unified, and highly rewarding, whole

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with Volume I, this memoir offers tremendous insight to a complex, and often controversial, historical figure. Regardless of the controversy there is no doubt that General Sherman had a profound impact on the history of the United States. If you have not read his memoirs I highly recommend you embark on the journey. He is candid in his opinions and believes completely in his cause. This is a worthy read.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

His account of the Civil War from the Atlanta campaign until the end of the war is very good. His frustrations with the Washington bureaucracy was eye opening. He simply couldn't stand them and left DC even though he was in charge of the Army. The only thing about the book is his continual use of official documents to tell the story when he could have written it better without their aid.

[Chris C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first volume and contains all the famous quotes for which Sherman is famous: his response to the citizens of Atlanta when deciding to make it a purely military installation and making POWs walk in front of his army when learning that there were mines set in the roads.

[James Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman-Volume 2

This book was excellent reading for history buff, which I consider myself. Very educational with facts I had not been familiar with.