William Tecumseh Sherman

[Tank_Guy#3]

I'd just like to know what CFC'ers think of General William T. Sherman.

I know how Godwynn and Skadistic feel about him , but I'd like to hear everyones thoughts about him.

 

[Pannonius]

I think he's a villain. He clearly overreacted in some of his actions.

 

[privatehudson]

A good general if for no other reason than he was one of the few who saw warfare for what it had become, and the Civil War for what it would be, rather than others who saw what they hoped it would be, and treated it much like a great adventure. His devastation of the South in the closing year or two of the war helped to bring about its sucessful conclusion, but was perhaps somewhat too excesive at times (then again he could and did reign it in when needed).

More hero than villain

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

I don't remember many massacres or genocides. He was fighting a war of attrition and he figured the best way to win that war was to destroy the South's capacity to wage war. Wars are as much about logistics and economic capacity as they are about armies. The economic infrastructure of an enemy is a legitimate target. Given the minimal loss of civilian life during his 'swath of destruction' through the south, I'd consider his conduct of this particularly ugly facet of the war to be admirable.

 

[Irish Caesar]

I find some sad irony in the fact that central Georgia, the part of the state Sherman marched through, was actually the strongest area of Unionism in the state before the war.

That said, until I have reason to believe that the destruction of the South during that particular conflict was a necessary part of saving many lives, I will continue to consider Sherman--and his lesser-known countryman Sheridan--villains.

 

[.Shane.]

Somewhere in-between.

@IC, where are you talking about, specifically? From what I recall if I had to list the top 3 pro-Union parts of the south it would've been:
West Virginia (duh)
East Tennessee
Some part of Texas (the location escapes me)

 

[Irish Caesar]

@IC, where are you talking about, specifically? From what I recall if I had to list the top 3 pro-Union parts of the south it would've been:
West Virginia (duh)
East Tennessee
Some part of Texas (the location escapes me)

I wish I could find the map online, it was on one of those silly antiquated overhead projector transparencies.

It was a map that tried to show a breakdown of unionist vs. secessionist parts of the South, perhaps by counties or state congressional districts. Some states held referendums (hm, I thought that would be referenda, but that word gets the red underline) to vote on secession, others voted by state Congress; while most of Georgia was secessionist, the central part of it (similar to the part that voted for Sen. McCain and Gov. Romney in the Republican primary, actually, although not as extensive) held stronger unionist sentiments.

And yes, of course, the strongest unionist parts of the Confederacy were in hill country, but despite overwhelming support for secession in many states, there were still plenty who would have preferred union.

Here's what I found online...

 

[kramerfan86]

I consider him to be a hero. Yes he was brutal, but so were our generals and presidents in WWII. Only difference is the enemy power Sherman was facing happened to be a former part of the United States as opposed to a European power. What was he supposed to do, put on the mittens for them? It was a bloody horrific war that was the biggest threat to this nation's survival EVER, if he had done this to Germany or Japan he wouldnt get so villianized even though they didnt nearly represent the threat the Civil War did to the united states.

 

[Archbob]

Neither, he was a General who did what was necessary to win the war in the shortest time possible. Sherman pretty unleashed the Nuclear bomb on the south.

 

[Godwynn]

*crickets*

 

[Tee Kay]

Wasn't he the one who opted for scorched earth tactics in the South and who advocated wholesale slaughter of Indigenous Americans?

All is fair in war, they say.

 

[Bast]

Frankly, I think he was hot.

But, fiddle-dee-dee, the Southern Belle in me can never forgive him for the devastation and suffering he brought to the Old South.

 

[Bast]

19th century charm

 

[Pannonius]

19th century charm

He looks like Clint Eastwood on this photo.

 

[El Justo]

hero

of course, it's not a cut and dry thing. i mean, what his troops did was and still is particularly heinous. however, Sherman knew what it would take to end the war and he wasn't shy about seeing it through.

plus, the march to the sea (and back north, too - alot of people forget that) was a stunning feat for its day.

 

[privatehudson]

plus, the march to the sea (and back north, too - alot of people forget that) was a stunning feat for its day.

Made all the more remarkable for the astonishing level of trust involved from Grant and also the level of trust Lincoln placed in Grant. To remove such a large body of troops from contact with the chain of command to operate independently at a time when its principle opponent is still in operation (albeit much reduced) is quite a risk.

 

[El Justo]

absolutely. i recall reading while in uni a book of all of the wire telegraph correspondence between Lincoln and Sherman (albeit far in between one another). very interesting.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

I remember watching something on the History Channel about how he did restrain his troops slightly more in Georgia.

But he basically allowed them to do whatever they wanted in South Carolina, as it was the "Cradle of Secession" (as I believe it was termed).

 

[El Justo]

yes, it was the foraging/pillaging in GA that his troops did that was so allegedly heinous. and of course, it's not easy to restrain all of one's troops under your command. so this blotch against Sherman can be viewed through different spectrums imo.

wrt SC, Sherman explicity stated that the city of Charleston not be destroyed b/c of it's sheer beauty...that and libraries and art galleries along the way. and i always found Sherman's fascination w/ Charleston very interesting. so much so that i actually visited the city a few years ago just to see what all the hub-bub was and let me tell, he was right! it is by far one of the most charming cities in the south, even today! it's like stepping into a time capsule!

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

It was, in those days, considered more chivalrous, more sporting, whatever you want to call it, to kill thousands of the enemy on the battlefield than to keep them off of it by destroying their will to fight. If understanding the nature of modern warfare, and acting accordingly, isn't necessarily heroic, neither does it make one a villian. It is only a pity that 50 years later the lesson had to be relearned.