William Tecumseh Sherman: Gold Rush Banker

by D.E. Clarke

Sherman had a natural gift for writing, and his letters are informative, interesting, and enlivened by a mature sense of humor. As senior resident partner of a banking house in San Francisco (1853-1857), Sherman wrote frequent reports to the home office in St. Louis, detailing not only routine business of the bank but also pertinent information about political and financial developments in the city (including the Vigilance Committee of 1856), the gold-mining areas, and the state capital. The letters were written to Henry Smith Turner, a partner and a close personal friend, and are characterized by a greater personal dimension than is usually found in business correspondence and official reports. Most of the business letters have been preserved, and little of the material in the file has previously been published.

446 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[William Edmund Wilkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, a banker himself, uses the letters of Sherman to his friend, Henry Smith Turner. Turner was back in St. Louis at the home office of the Lucas-Turner bank. The book is at its best when Mr. Clarke describes the layout and daily life in San Francisco. Otherwise, the weekly and monthly reports of transactions grow tiresome. Interesting also when people who have a future in American history transit the letters. Useful for insights into the panics which shook the banks; also for the kinds of transactions required to get the tons of gold dust back East. Some glimpses upcountry to the merchants and agents in gold country among the miners. Insights into the steamers to Panama, too, and their vital role. The book provides some insights into the vigilante movement. The Sherman in these letters is a cautious character, strictly business, taught by experience not to be trusting--and yet shown to be a loyal friend. Traits some might see in his later career. Charles Stone makes several appearances in Sherman's letters.

[Don Teeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll never "finish" this book. It's not a novel. It's for research. Goodreads doesn't comprehend that. Great book, though, if you're into this sort of thing (I am).