Sherman's Civil War: Selected Correspondence of William T. Sherman, 1860-1865 (Civil War America)

The first major modern edition of the wartime correspondence of General William T. Sherman, this volume features more than 400 letters written between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the day Sherman bade farewell to his troops in 1865. Together, they trace Sherman's rise from obscurity to become one of the Union's most famous and effective warriors. Arranged chronologically and grouped into chapters that correspond to significant phases in Sherman's life, the letters—many of which have never before been published—reveal Sherman's thoughts on politics, military operations, slavery and emancipation, the South, and daily life in the Union army, as well as his reactions to such important figures as General Ulysses S. Grant and President Lincoln. Lively, frank, opinionated, discerning, and occasionally extremely wrong-headed, these letters mirror the colorful personality and complex mentality of the man who wrote them. They offer the reader an invaluable glimpse of the Civil War as Sherman saw it.

Features more than 400 wartime letters of Union General William T. Sherman, one of the Civil War's most famous and effective generals. Sherman emerges here as a lively, opinionated, and discerning observer of political and military issues and events.

Library Journal

Sherman once remarked that his letters were "sought after like hot cakes." With this superb edition of more than 400 letters drawn from the general's vast personal and official correspondence, it is easy to see why. Sherman wrote much and wisely about war though too often hastily and even angrily about politics and society. The letters read like an epistolary novel, showing Sherman as a loving husband and ambitious military man who found his calling in war. Sherman's devotion to the Union echoes throughout, as does his racism and impatience with posturing politicians, bungling officers, intractable civilians, and anyone else he could not control. The letters show how the famous Grant-Sherman friendship formed, how Lincoln rose in esteem among military men, and how military policy shaped emancipation and Reconstruction. Sherman's prejudices and arrogance will infuriate, just as his insights on war will inform. This well-edited collection is a triumph, sweeping all other editions of Sherman's and other generals' letters before it. Highly recommended. --Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia

The first major modern edition of General William T. Sherman's wartime correspondence, this volume features more than 400 letters, both personal and official, written between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the day Sherman bade farewell to his troops in 1865. Together, they trace Sherman's rise from obscurity to become one of the Union's most famous and effective warriors. Arranged chronologically and grouped into chapters that correspond to significant phases in Sherman's life, these letters - many of which have never before been published - reveal the general's thoughts on politics, military operations, slavery and emancipation, the South, and daily life in the Union army, as well as his reactions to such important figures as General Ulysses S. Grant and President Lincoln. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of events and includes annotations that help clarify references in the letters themselves. Collects over four hundred of the general's letters, revealing his views on politicians, the press, race relations, Reconstruction, and military tactics on both sides of the Civil War. For William T. Sherman, the breakup of the United States in the secession crisis of 1860-61 could not have come at a worse time.