Synopses & Reviews
Hailed by his admirers as "a fighting prophet," cursed by his enemies as "the concentrated quintessence of Yankeedom," General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the most complex and fascinating figures in the history of the U.S. military. His fierce campaigns of the Civil War, climaxed by the burning of Atlanta and his famous march to the sea, are the stuff of legend. Yet, until now, much of Sherman's life and troubled times have remained mired in controversy. In this superbly detailed, scrupulously documented account, author Stanley P. Hirshson presents the most vivid, revealing, and complete biography ever of the controversial general.
Drawing on a wealth of new information, including actual regimental histories, The White Tecumseh offers a refreshing new perspective on a brilliant, tormented soul and often misunderstood leader. Peeling away layers of myth and misconception, Hirshson draws a remarkable portrait of an enigmatic, temperamental, and unique individual-a man of enormous contradictions, strengths, and weaknesses; a loyal but largely absent husband and father; a determined and courageous, yet deeply flawed, military man.
Born in 1820, "Cump" Sherman attended West Point, where his undisputed brilliance in tactics, artillery, ethics, and engineering far outshone his erratic conduct. Despite a slew of disciplinary demerits, he graduated sixth in a class of over two hundred. As a young soldier, he served in Florida during the Seminole Wars, before embarking on a checkered career as a banker in San Francisco, a lawyer in Kansas, and finally, a military school master in Louisiana.
When secession came, practicality more than principle led Sherman to Washington, where an appointment from Abraham Lincoln spurred his rise through the ranks.
The White Tecumseh offers a fresh and frank assessment of Sherman as a military tactician. For the first time, we learn how he was regarded by his own men. The battle of Shiloh made Sherman a national figure, while defeat at Bull Run cast doubt on his judgment and abilities. Publicly portrayed as an unbalanced hysteric—a perception fueled by his own proclamations of collusion and conspiracy—privately he suffered from depression, forever haunted by the mental instability that had plagued his mother's family.
However, it was on the long campaigns and marches, such as his march across Mississippi in the summer of 1863, that Sherman's logistical and leadership abilities excelled. With the capture and razing of Atlanta in 1864, Sherman's notoriety — and historical legacy — was assured. As one newspaper put it, "Grant walked into Vicksburg, McClellan walked around Richmond, but Sherman is walking upon Atlanta." In fact, his understanding of logistics would be admired and studied half a century later by another West Pointer: George S. Patton.
With previously unpublished photos taken from the West Point Archives, this thoroughly researched, wonderfully balanced account of one of history's most famous and provocative figures is a compelling, beautifully crafted biography.
Synopsis
A refreshing new look at one of the Civil War's most compelling and controversial figures
Best remembered as the man who burned Atlanta, and marched his army to the sea, cutting a swath of destruction through Georgia, William Tecumseh Sherman remains one of the most vital figures in Civil War annals. This beautifully crafted new biography offers a fresh perspective on this pivotal personality. It is the first Sherman biography to draw on regimental histories, giving us a fascinating view of how Sherman's own men regarded him and how they rated him as a general. More sympathetic than other biographers, Hirshson presents Sherman as a brilliant but tormented soul, haunted by the mental instability that plagued his mother's family. The White Tecumseh also focuses more closely on Sherman's battles and marches than previous accounts, demonstrating that his lackluster performance on the battlefield was more than compensated for by the effectiveness of his march campaigns.
-- Illustrations include previously unseen photos from the West Point Archives
Synopsis
"Extraordinarily readable." --Paul D. Casdorph, author of Jackson and Lee
Best remembered as the man who burned Atlanta and marched his army to the sea, cutting a swath of destruction through Georgia, William Tecumseh Sherman remains one of the most vital figures in Civil War annals. In The White Tecumseh, Stanley Hirshson has crafted a beautiful and rigorous work of scholarship, the only life of Sherman to draw on regimental histories and testimonies by the general's own men. What emerges is a landmark portrait of a brilliant but tormented soul, haunted by a family legacy of mental illness and relentlessly driven to realize a powerful military ambition.
"Sympathetic yet excellent . . . insight into how Sherman's own troops felt about him and his relationships with fellow generals, especially Grant. . . . Highly recommended." --Library Journal
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 395-458) and index.
About the Author
STANLEY P. HIRSHSON is Professor of History at Queens College, City University of New York, and the author of Farewell to the Bloody Shirt: Northern Republicans and the Southern Negro, 1877-1893. Mr. Hirshson lives in Closter, New Jersey.
Table of Contents
Of Raymonds and Streets, Hoyts and Shermans.
Beside the Still Waters.
"I Regret I Ever Left the Army."
A Yankee in Rebeldom.
The Insanity of the South—and of Uncle Charles.
Hamlet.
The Same Game as at Bull Run.
Bad Day at Chickasaw.
Vicksburg and Sherman's First March.
Willy, Chattanooga, and Knoxville.
Commander of the Armies.
"We Must Kill Those Three Hundred Thousand."
"A Scene I Pray My Eyes May Never See Again."
"Gone to Join Willy."
The Carolinas.
"I Will Take a Regiment of My Old Division and Clear Them All Out."
"Whatever We Do Here Causes Death."
At War With Grant.
Of Lizzie and Tom.
Extreme Unction.
Sherman: A Brief Assessment.
Appendix.
Notes.
Manuscripts Cited.
Index.