What do you think?
Rate this book
Civil War America
Sherman's Civil War: Selected Correspondence, 1860-1865
The first major modern edition of the wartime correspondence of General William T. Sherman, this volume features more than 400 letters written between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the day Sherman bade farewell to his troops in 1865. Together, they trace Sherman's rise from obscurity to become one of the Union's most famous and effective warriors.
Arranged chronologically and grouped into chapters that correspond to significant phases in Sherman's life, the lettersmany of which have never before been publishedreveal Sherman's thoughts on politics, military operations, slavery and emancipation, the South, and daily life in the Union army, as well as his reactions to such important figures as General Ulysses S. Grant and President Lincoln.
Lively, frank, opinionated, discerning, and occasionally extremely wrong-headed, these letters mirror the colorful personality and complex mentality of the man who wrote them. They offer the reader an invaluable glimpse of the Civil War as Sherman saw it.
948 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 1999
About the author
Brooks D. Simpson
36 books23 followersBrooks Donohue Simpson is an historian who is the ASU Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University, specializing in studies of the American Civil War.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 16, 2009
These letters of WT Sherman will not necessarily lead the reader to agree with the general's opinions, but they are written with such force and style that they can't help but impress. He speaks with authority, especially after his early warnings, which led some to call him crazy, were borne out by the course of the war. He is somewhat boastful--clearly due in part to insecurity--but at the same time more than willing to give praise where he thinks it is due. Excepting Lincoln, of course, Sherman is the most consistently interesting and quotable writer out of the men directly involved in the war, and this collection is liberally peppered with sharp turns of phrase. A must for anyone who is seriously interested in Sherman and a valuable part of any Civil War library.
November 2, 2023
I'm SAD to be done reading this book. I'm fond of Sherman. I like spending time with him.
Having said that, I must issue a content warning; readers of this collection of his letters will find ample evidence of his racism and antisemitism. It is possible to like him without liking or feeling comfortable with everything he did and said and thought, and Black leaders of the time liked his actions if not his rhetoric, but some of the letters are upsetting. Be forewarned.
Is this a good book? That's a difficult question. The letters themselves are interesting and enjoyable to read. Even the letters where he expresses opinions or actually gives orders that are upsetting to read (retaliatory killing of prisoners, for example) are an important part of understanding him as a whole person, and he deserves to be understood. But the book isn't simply letters--editors assembled the collection, making choices about which letters to include and which to leave out and what contextual information to add. Are those choices well-made? Is the overall picture accurate and helpful? Unfortunately, it's hard to tell without having read the letters that weren't included. One could compare the picture given with that of various biographies of Sherman, except that I am starting to suspect that even some well-respected histories of the man have been influenced by Confederate propaganda--or Union propaganda. Certainly, the W.T. Sherman who appears in his letters and his memoir (which I have also read) is neither the vicious monster nor the "prophet of war" of popular understanding. He was aware of the difference--even before the war ended, there were biographical sketches being published about him that he said (by letter, included here) he did not recognize. Perhaps it is necessary to focus on the record he himself left, making this collection, whether it is excellent or less so, invaluable for those of us not prepared to track down and read every letter of his still extant.
Anyway, I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
What jumps out is Sherman the human being. Variations in style give clues as to the decisions he was making about how to express himself with different people and in different contexts. His frequent return to one or two topics almost regardless of context shows what was uppermost on his mind (the progress of the war and the overall state of the country). There are warm letters of friendship, letters where he is obviously deeply depressed, letters where he is so obviously angry that it would be difficult to read them aloud without raising one's voice. Some letters are funny. There is the deep respect and deference he shows in his letters to his foster-father (and not to anyone else, not even President Lincoln); the many times he writes to his brother (a Congressman) appearing to berate him for everything Congress is doing wrong, but then signs the letter with loving affection; there are his declarations of devotion to Grant and his equal but more understated devotion to his wife--his letters to her are often almost businesslike, but there are a lot of them, and he signs them "ever yours," and I do think he meant it. There are the letters to his children, wise, loving, and poignant. He was trying to be an active and involved parent from hundreds of miles away without knowing when or if he would ever see them again. As he makes clear in his letters to adults, he did not expect to survive the war.
Sherman's reputation these days is largely for brutality, both among those who deplore what he did and among those who approve of it--but the more I read of him, the more I question that reputation. Yes, he could be brutal when he thought the situation called for it, but the same is true of all effective military commanders--he was actually more compassionate and restrained than some. He did not invent modern warfare, he was just very good at it. He was very good at most things he did. Where he stood out was in that competence and in his single-minded devotion to his mission. He also stood out for being lovable. I realize that may sound like an odd thing to say about a man once described as "like Attila the Hun but less cuddly," but I don't think whoever said that knew much about Sherman. In fact, most of the people who knew him loved and trusted him--including (as I learned from another book) at least one of the Confederate generals whom he defeated and who later became his close friend.
These letters show at least part of the reason why.
Having said that, I must issue a content warning; readers of this collection of his letters will find ample evidence of his racism and antisemitism. It is possible to like him without liking or feeling comfortable with everything he did and said and thought, and Black leaders of the time liked his actions if not his rhetoric, but some of the letters are upsetting. Be forewarned.
Is this a good book? That's a difficult question. The letters themselves are interesting and enjoyable to read. Even the letters where he expresses opinions or actually gives orders that are upsetting to read (retaliatory killing of prisoners, for example) are an important part of understanding him as a whole person, and he deserves to be understood. But the book isn't simply letters--editors assembled the collection, making choices about which letters to include and which to leave out and what contextual information to add. Are those choices well-made? Is the overall picture accurate and helpful? Unfortunately, it's hard to tell without having read the letters that weren't included. One could compare the picture given with that of various biographies of Sherman, except that I am starting to suspect that even some well-respected histories of the man have been influenced by Confederate propaganda--or Union propaganda. Certainly, the W.T. Sherman who appears in his letters and his memoir (which I have also read) is neither the vicious monster nor the "prophet of war" of popular understanding. He was aware of the difference--even before the war ended, there were biographical sketches being published about him that he said (by letter, included here) he did not recognize. Perhaps it is necessary to focus on the record he himself left, making this collection, whether it is excellent or less so, invaluable for those of us not prepared to track down and read every letter of his still extant.
Anyway, I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
What jumps out is Sherman the human being. Variations in style give clues as to the decisions he was making about how to express himself with different people and in different contexts. His frequent return to one or two topics almost regardless of context shows what was uppermost on his mind (the progress of the war and the overall state of the country). There are warm letters of friendship, letters where he is obviously deeply depressed, letters where he is so obviously angry that it would be difficult to read them aloud without raising one's voice. Some letters are funny. There is the deep respect and deference he shows in his letters to his foster-father (and not to anyone else, not even President Lincoln); the many times he writes to his brother (a Congressman) appearing to berate him for everything Congress is doing wrong, but then signs the letter with loving affection; there are his declarations of devotion to Grant and his equal but more understated devotion to his wife--his letters to her are often almost businesslike, but there are a lot of them, and he signs them "ever yours," and I do think he meant it. There are the letters to his children, wise, loving, and poignant. He was trying to be an active and involved parent from hundreds of miles away without knowing when or if he would ever see them again. As he makes clear in his letters to adults, he did not expect to survive the war.
Sherman's reputation these days is largely for brutality, both among those who deplore what he did and among those who approve of it--but the more I read of him, the more I question that reputation. Yes, he could be brutal when he thought the situation called for it, but the same is true of all effective military commanders--he was actually more compassionate and restrained than some. He did not invent modern warfare, he was just very good at it. He was very good at most things he did. Where he stood out was in that competence and in his single-minded devotion to his mission. He also stood out for being lovable. I realize that may sound like an odd thing to say about a man once described as "like Attila the Hun but less cuddly," but I don't think whoever said that knew much about Sherman. In fact, most of the people who knew him loved and trusted him--including (as I learned from another book) at least one of the Confederate generals whom he defeated and who later became his close friend.
These letters show at least part of the reason why.
May 3, 2023
To Ulyssesses S. Grant
Head Quarters Department of the Tennessee
Memphis, January 24, 1864
Maj. Genl. U.S. Grant
Comdg. Div. of the Miss.
Dear General,
I have received at the hands of Colonel Duff your letter of the 15th inst. with copies of yours to Genl. Halleck and those of General Halleck to you and Genl. Steele. All these concur in their general plan & acts thus far are perfectly in concordance.
The 16th Corps had become so domiciled at Memphis & along the Railroad that is like pulling teeth to get them Started, but I think these divisions, Veatchs Tuttles & A. J. Smiths will be embarked to day & tomorrow for the south.
Head Quarters Department of the Tennessee
Memphis, January 24, 1864
Maj. Genl. U.S. Grant
Comdg. Div. of the Miss.
Dear General,
I have received at the hands of Colonel Duff your letter of the 15th inst. with copies of yours to Genl. Halleck and those of General Halleck to you and Genl. Steele. All these concur in their general plan & acts thus far are perfectly in concordance.
The 16th Corps had become so domiciled at Memphis & along the Railroad that is like pulling teeth to get them Started, but I think these divisions, Veatchs Tuttles & A. J. Smiths will be embarked to day & tomorrow for the south.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews