'-siiiRMA"N;'willinm -Tecl~mseh, soldier, b. in Lancaster, Ohio, 8 Feb., 1820. His branch of the family is traced to Samuel Sherman, of Essex, England, who carne to this country in 1634 with his brother, the Rev. John Sherman, and his cousin. Capt. John Sherman. Roger Sherman. signer of the Declaration of Independence, traces his lineage to the captain, and Gen. Sherman to that of the Rev. John, whose family settled in Woodbury and Norwalk, Conn., whence some of them removed to Lancaster, Fairfield co., Ohio, in 1810. The father of Gen. Sherman was 1\ lawyer. and for five years before his death in 1829 judge of the snpreme court. His mother, who was married in 1810, was Mary Hoyt. They had eleven children. of whom William was the sixth and John the eighth. Will· iam was adopted by Thomas Ewing, and attended school in Lancaster till 1836. In July of that year he was sent as a cadet to West Point, where he was graduated in 1840 sixth in a class of forty-two members. Among his classmates was George H. Thomas. As a cadet, he is remembered as an earnest., high-spiriteo, honorable, and outspoken youth, deeply impressed, according to one of his early letters, with the grave responsibility propel']Y attaching to "serving the country." He also at that time expressed a wish to go to the far west, . out of civilization. He was commissioned as a 2d lieutenant in the Bd artillery, 1 July. 1840, and sent to Florida, where the embers of the Indian war were still smouldering. On 30 Nov., 1841, he was made a 1st lieu tenilll t, ILnll commanded a small de­ tachment at Picoluta. In 1842 he was at ]<~ort Morgan, Mobile Point. AIIL., and later at Fort Moul­ trie, Charleston harbor, where. he indulged in hunt­ ing and society, the immediate vicinity of the fort being a summer resort for the people of Charleston. In 1843, on his return from a short leal'e, he began the study of law, not to nHtke it a profession, but t.o render himself a more intelligent soldier. When the Mexican waf began in 1846 he was sent with troops around Cape Horn to California, where he acted as adjutant-general to Gen. Stephen W. Kearny, Col. Mason, and Gen. Persifer F. Smith. Returning in 1850. on 1 May he man-ied Miss EBen Boyle Ewing, at Washingt.on, her father, his old friend, then being secretary of the interior. Be ~ was appointed a captain in the commissary depart­ mE'nt, 2 Sept., 1850, and sent to St. Louis and New Odeans. He had already received a brevet of cap­ tain for service in California, to date from 30 May, 1848. Seeing little prospect of promotion and small opportunity for his talents III the army in times of peace, he resigned his commission, 6 Sept., 1853, the few graduates of WE'st Point being at that period in demand in many wnlks of civil life. He was immediately appointed (1853) manager of the branch bank of Lucas, Turner amI Co., San Fran­ cisco, Cal. When the affairs of thnt e~l'. ablishmen t were wound up in 1857 he retul'Iled to St. Louis, SHERMAN SHERl\lAN 503 Ilnd lived for a time ill New York as agent for the Iment of his men. Although severely wounded in St. Louis firm. In 18;18-'9 he was '1 counseJlor-at­ thl' hand on the first cby, his place was never va­ law in Lea,ve nworth, Knn., and in the next year be­ cant." And again: "To his individual efforts I came snperintendent of the State military acaLlemy am indebted for the success of that bnttle." Gen. at Alexandria" La., wh ere he dill good work; but Halleck declared that" Sherman saved the fortunes when that state seceded from the Union he promptly of the day on the 6th, and contributed largely to resigned and returned to St. Louis, wh ere he was for the glorious victory of the 7th." After the battle a short time l?resident of the Fifth street railroad. Gen. Halleck assumed comma,nd of all the armies, Of the civil war he too k what were then con­ and advanced slowly upon Corinth, acting rather sidered extreme views. He regarded President with the caution of an engineer than with the Lincoln's call for 75,000 three-months' men in promptness of a strategi1t. In the new mo\'ement April. It,61, as trifling with a seri ous mat.ter, de­ Gen. Sherman was conspicuous for jwlgment and claring that the ri sing of the secessionists was not dash. He was employed constantly wh ere prompt­ a mob to be put down by the posse comitatus, but ness and energy were needed. Two miles in ad­ a war to be fought out by ~wmi es . On 13 Mny he vance of the army, as it was ranged around Corinth, was co mmissioned colonel of the 13th infantry, he captUl'ed and fortified Russell's house, \"hich is with inst,ructions to report to Gen. Scott at Wash­ oulya mile and a half from Corinth. Deceiving ington. That office r had matured a plan of cam- Halleck, the enemy were permitted to evacuate the J:!aign, and was about to put it into execution. town and destroy its defences. Sherman wa~ made Sherman was pllt in co mmand of H brigade in a major-general of volunteers. to el ate from 1 May, Tyler's division of the arm)' that marched to Bull 1862. On 9 June he was ordered to Grand Junc­ Run. His brigade compnsed the 13th, 69th, and tion, a strategic point, where th~ Memphis and 79th New York lind the 2d Wisc(lnsin regiments. Charleston and the Missis~ippi Central railroads The enemy's left had been fairly tUl'lled, and Sher­ meet. Memphis was to be a new base. ITe was to man's brigade WIIS hotly e nga~ed, when the Con­ repair the former road, and to guard them both federates were re-enforced; tne National troops lind keep them in running order. Gen. Halleck made fatal delays. and, struck by panic, the army hnving been made general-in-chief of the armies of was soo n in full retreat. Sherman's brigade hnd the United States, Grant was, on 15 July, appoint­ lost III killed. 205 wounded, and 293 missing. On ed to command the Depa.rtment of the Tenllessee, 3 Aug., 1861 , he was made a, brigadier-genera.! of and he at once ordered Sherman to Memphis, which volunteers, to date from 17 May, and on 28 Aug. had been captured by the National fl otilla, 6 June, he was se nt from the Army of the Potomac to be with instructions to put it in a state of defence. second in comma,nd to Gen. Robert Anderson in Sherman, to secure himself against the machina­ Kentucky. Few persons were prepared for the tions of the rebellious inh!tbitants, direc ted all who curiolls pmblem of Kentucky politics. What has adhered to the Confedel'nte cause to lea\'e the city. bee n called the "secession juggle" was at least He allowed them no trade in cotton, would not partially successful. On account of broken health, permit the u~e of Confederate. money, all owed no Gen. Anderson soon asked to be relieved from the force 01' intimidation to be used to ob lige negroes, command, and he was succeeded by Sherman on who had left their masters, to return to them, but 17 Oct. It was expected by the government that made them work for their support. He also eiIectu­ the men, to keep Kentucky in the Union, could be ally suppressed guerilla warfare. recruited in that state, and that the numbers re­ The western armies having advanced to the line qui red would be but fe.w; but this expectation was of the Memphis and <?harleston railroad, the next doomed to be dlsappomted. Sherman looked for step was to cnpture Vlck s bUl'~ nnd thereby open to a great war, and declared that 60,000 men would navigation the Mississippi nver. Vicksburg was be required to drive the enemy out of the stnte strongly fortified and garrisoned and was covered and 200,000 to put an end to the st\'llggle in that by an army commumleci by Gen. Pcmber.ton postell region. Most men looked upon this prophetic behind the Tallahatchie. Grant moved direct sagacity as craziness. He was relievpd from his from G\'aud ,Junction via Holly Springs, McPher­ co mm and by Gen. Buell on 12 Nov. lind ordered to son his Jeft from Corinth, and Sherman hi s right report to Gen. Halleck, commanding the Depart­ from l\lemphis to Wyatt, turning Pemberton's left, ment of the West. He was placed in command of who retrented to Grenada be hind the Yalabuslm. Benton BarrllCks. At this time Gen. Ulysses S. Then Grant detached Sherman with (lne of his Grant was in co mm and of the force to move on brigades back to :Me mphis to organize.a sufficient Forts Henry and Donelson in F ebruul'y, 1802, and force out of the new troops there and a division at just after the capture of these strongholds Sher­ Helena to move in boa.ts e~co rt ed by Admiml Por­ man was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee. ter's gun-boat fleet to Vicksburg to capture the It consisted of six divisions, of which Sherman was ?},tce while he, Gmnt, held Pemberton at Grenada.