About:
William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country, A Life by James Lee McDonough is a biography of the famous American Civil War General. Mr. McDonough is an emeritus profess of history at Auburn University.
- 832 pages
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0393241572
My rating for William Tecumseh Sherman –5
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Thoughts:
Like all of us, General Sherman is a complicated man. On one hand, he seemed like a modern general, quotable, of course, but also full of anxiety, depression, not religious (anti-religion is more like it), and a fan of the theater. On the other hand, he’s a man of his time with many of the associations we make with it.
The general was a racist who believed everyone was inferior to the white race (Texans included). Nevertheless, he shook the hands of former slaves and conversed with them politely and honestly – something many of his contemporaries wouldn’t even think about.
William Tecumseh Sherman by James L. McDonough of course focuses on “Cump’s” military career. As a witness, strategist, and a major player in the American Civil War there was a lot to write about.
The most interesting aspect for me was that he did not conduct “total war” on his famous march. While not shying from using violence against wealth Confederates, the rural areas of South Carolina and George were mostly left untouched.
Another interesting aspect which the author spends a lot of time on, and rightly so, is Sherman’s informal foster father, Thomas Ewing. Mr. Ewing was a rich politician, US Senator, and the 14th Secretary of the Treasure under President William Henry Harrison, as well as the first Secretary of the Interior under President Zachary Taylor . Growing up in a political household helped the young Sherman understand politics, even though he did not want to partake in them. Having an influential mentor, certainly helped him make important connections in the Army. Sherman even married Ewing’s daughter, Eleanor Boyle Ewing Sherman. Eleanor was super-Catholic and used to the good life, both of which caused friction in the marriage since her husband scoffed at religion, and his Army salary was no where near enough for her expectations.
The book shines when it tells of Sherman’s brilliant campaigns and strategies. While I thought his breathtaking march, more of a political effort than a military one, through the American South deserved more focus, this is a thick book as it is and, let’s face it, no one told it better than Sherman himself.
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Zohar — Man of la Book
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