Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman — Volume 1

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, Classics, Nonfiction, American Civil War, War

304 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

[Kim Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

One of the challenges in teaching history is trying to help my students understand that the people we talk about are actual, real people and not just names in a book. As I was reading through this, I realized that it's not just students that have that problem. I have read a lot of biographies before, but this one struck me differently somehow. I loved hearing about some of the people I have taught about from the perspective of someone who knew them. I also got a different perspective on some of the things that are taught in my history books. Granted, Sherman was defending himself with some of the things he said, but since he lived through them and the history writers didn't, it's probably good to give him the benefit of the doubt. I also realized I need to do some more research on some others in the Civil War that I talk about in snapshots. There were many things I found absolutely fascinating, but I can definitely see that this would not be a book for everyone to enjoy. I would suggest it for those who have a pretty strong foundation in the Civil War.

I didn't love the appendix, but overall, I enjoyed this enough to round my rating up.

[Emily D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is interesting to view history through the perspective of one person - and that person being such an important figure in American history. I didn't know that so many American soldiers pre-Civil War were grossly underpaid and deserted their posts to join the gold rush. I didn't know that William Tecumseh Sherman was a banker before the war. I didn't know that Zachary Taylor supposedly died from eating too many cherries and cream.
However, these tidbits were scattered throughout some pretty dry reading, especially military reports that read like the Bible's genealogical portions. I would only recommend this book to military history buffs and fans.

[leslie spero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherman is direct in his comments.

Clearly written. His pre war years are fascinating. Who knew how involved he was in California. His
war years are an excellent summary of events.

[Randall L. Strunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary read to understand the war in the west

Sherman's first volume of memoirs is a necessary read to understand the western campaign under Grant. It must be read alongside Grant's memoirs.

[Keith True · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Perspective

Somewhat interesting perspective and an easy read. It's helpful in that it perhaps fills in details more directly from Sherman's view of events he had a part of.

[Lee Stanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great leader but long read

Very grateful for an amazing leader like General Sherman, but this was tough to get through since it really truly reads like a diary.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't tend to associate military officers with good writing, but Sherman tests my prejudice. He is articulate and funny. His formal dispatches are dry, but thorough. I am sure military historians love them. What I enjoy most are the glimpses of his personal life. He owned businesses in San Francisco and saw the gold rush first hand. He crossed the Panama isthmus on mules four times before the railway was completed, and the canal was only a dream. He was president of a school that eventually became the University of Louisiana and had to make some very difficult personal decisions when the Civil War broke out.

I read E L Doctorow's novel The March and wanted to know more about the man. I finished Part I of Volume I have started Part II. We are still in the early stages of the war, so it will be a while before I get to find out how his march to the sea comes to be.

A fascinating man.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and for a reason I wasn't expecting: Although Sherman is famous for his civil war escapades, especially his march from Atlanta to the sea (destroying lots of Georgia on the way), he also gives a first-hand account of his life in northern California before, during and after the gold rush. Having lived in Silicon Valley for the past 20 years, the places he describes are familiar and the stories interesting. I'm recommending it to friends just for this reason.

My elementary school history left me with the impression that Sherman was some kind of monster, almost an American Ghengis Khan. In this book, Sherman gets to tell his side of the story, and it's neither as brutal as Ghengis Khan nor even reprehensible. At least, he has a coherent perspective and principled reasons for doing what he did.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book. The only shortcoming is his use of too many of the official reports from the Civil War. This slows the book down. Particularly interesting is Sherman's writing of the time he lived in Northern California during the Gold Rush days and later into the 1850's. Also, his descriptions of his time in Louisiana before the war are very good. It is a frank description of his experiences and is well worth reading.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! I look forward to Volume II. It was fascinating to read the General's words through pivotal times in our history. His account reflects his personality as he strives to give a candid memoir of the experiences he had.

[Richard Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

This memoir deserves 5 stars, but the conversion to electronic format created too many punctuation errors. This is a well documented account of Sherman's life up to his march across Georgia.