Getting to know General William Tecumseh Sherman

A highly detailed summary of the evolution of General Sherman and the Demons he had to overcome, on his way to becoming one of the most important generals for the Union in the Civil War

Here are some photos from our most recent meeting, on General William Tecumseh Sherman. One of the Forum's founders, Jim Santagata, developed a fondness for the Sherman story and gave us a very entertaining and informative summary on "Sherman's Demons". We learned that Sherman had been considered Insane at the start of the Civil War, and he had to overcome a number of hurdles before he could truly mature to become a great leader of destiny. His family had a history of insanity. Sherman had a phobia about major changes happening beyond his control. He was tormented by his father-in-law, Thomas Ewing; and by his fears of never having fought in combat during the Mexican War and whether he was qualified to lead new men to battle. He showed his military abilities in the First Battle of Bull Run, then became an important ally of US Grant with Sherman's actions on Day Two at Shiloah; all this led to his courageous decision to move on Atlanta while risking his supply chain and deciding to live off the land. Sherman was famous for his "war is hell" comment, but he deserves tremendous respect for his Savannah charter with freed slaves providing land and mules (sadly, never implemented). I was surprised to hear from Jim's talk about Sherman's affections for the South, kindled in his years as administrator to the predecessor to LSU and reinvigorated after the Civil War with his years in New Orleans. Jim had much information to share and it was a lively discussion!