William Tecumseh Sherman

April 4, 2016
McDonough (The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble), professor emeritus of history at Auburn University, adroitly weaves his prodigious knowledge of Civil War–era America into this behemoth biography as he brilliantly captures Gen. Sherman’s personality. Diving right into the action, McDonough opens with Sherman at the 1862 battle of Shiloh. The bloody Union victory there was a turning point in the brigadier general’s career, McDonough argues, instilling in him a level of confidence that enhanced his leadership skills. Before then, Sherman’s military career waxed and waned. After graduating from West Point in 1840, he initially disregarded advice from his wealthy guardian and future father-in-law, Thomas Ewing, to give up the army for a more lucrative profession. Three years after marrying Ellen Ewing in 1850, Sherman left the army to try his hand at a variety of civilian occupations, but once the Civil War started, he couldn’t rationalize staying out of it. Though primarily interested in Sherman the general—which will likely be the main attraction for most readers—McDonough leaves no aspect of Sherman’s life or times unexamined, including the story of his original first name, the debate over the expansion of slavery, and the politics of Reconstruction. McDonough has produced an exhaustive biography told with considerable narrative skill. Maps & illus.

Starred review from May 1, 2016
A wide-ranging biography of the Civil War legend, a monster to some, a savior to others.McDonough (Emeritus, History/Auburn Univ.; War in Kentucky: From Shiloh to Perryville, 1994, etc.) looks at William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) against the broad sweep of history, with special resonance in the matter of the punitive campaigns he led in Georgia and especially South Carolina. Sherman, argues the author, had good reason to be harsh, for he believed, correctly, that South Carolina was more than any other state responsible for secession and "should be made to feel the war." Still, the vengeful mood translated into unfortunate behavior on the part of his soldiers, some of whom burned and looted their way across the Deep South. Sherman was feared and despised in the South, though, curiously, when he was in a position to offer terms of peace, he unwisely promised to honor Southern property rights--which some Southerners naturally interpreted to mean their erstwhile human property as well. "When the document reached Washington," McDonough writes tersely, "the brouhaha was on." It wouldn't be the first time Sherman was in trouble, usually for political rather than military reasons, and McDonough does a good job of charting Sherman's thinking and actions in the political context of the day. More than that, though, this is a vigorous military biography of a man of action, who, though plagued by mental troubles, did more than his part for the Union effort. Indeed, argues the author, no one under federal arms apart from Ulysses S. Grant "would have as much to do with winning the war for the Union as Sherman." McDonough also notes that although Sherman was indeed a grim visitor to the South on his March to the Sea and beyond, he was less inclined than many commanders to spill the blood of his own men, especially after the bloodbaths of Gettysburg and Chickamauga. A fine biography, welcome reading for any student of Civil War history.

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Starred review from May 1, 2016

McDonough (emeritus, history, Auburn Univ.; Nashville: The Western Confederacy's Final Gamble) offers a well-researched biography of a leading Union general during the Civil War. Educated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, William Tecumseh Sherman's (1820-91) military experience and more importantly, his innate sense of logistics and planning made him indispensable to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and President Abraham Lincoln's overall strategy to win the war: taking it into the Southern heartland and destroying all resources that might be used by the Confederacy. Before the conflict, Sherman worked in business and banking but nothing satisfied him or brought him success more than the army. This volume not only details Sherman's war campaigns, it also considers his family life, including his troubled relationship with his wife, and his attempts to reach financial security. What emerges from these pages is a well-rounded study of a man with faults who treasured his friendships, loved his country, and strove to live honestly and in service above all. It should be noted that Sherman's military exploits in the West, after the Civil War, receive little attention. VERDICT Everything about this book will interest readers who want to know more about antebellum America and the Civil War.--Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel

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