William Tecumseh Sherman was born on a cold day, February 8th, 1820, in Lancaster Ohio. His middle name comes from the name of an Indian chief who had led a battle against a nearby village, and burned it down.

He graduated from West Point, head of his class. He went on to become the superintendant of Luisiana Millitary Acadamy, which became LSU.

In 1861, he was given charge of the Ohio brigade of the US army. He stated that 200,000 men would be needed to fight in that region. Several newspapers said that he was crazy, and he was thereby fired from that position. Later, he was proven right, but he did not recieve any apologies.

He later rejoined the army and was given the rank of private. He was put in the front line at the battle of Shiloh, and after surviving and helping Grant win the battle, he was given the position of Major General.

In the Vikisburg campaign, Sherman helped Grant out in a major way. He covered up the fact that Grant was an alcoholic, and a womanizer. At the end, he credited all his doings to Grant. When, as a result of this campaign, Grant was given position of Major Commander of the entire United States, he gave his former job, commander of the west, to Sherman.

With this rank, Sherman was now able to control the actions of every soldier from Michigan to Tennesee.

Now was his chance to make himself into the most Hated generals ever to walk the Earth. Even today, some people consider him the worse. This is what he did to earn this disrespect:

On May 6, 1864, he gathered troops in Chattanooga Tennesee, and led them down to Atlanta, with only Matches, salt, axes, and rations. When the tired troops got to Atlanta, they fired cannons on the city for 35 days. They then recieved orders to burn down every house that wasn't already on fire. After a few days, every building in atlanta was composed of ash. The entire population had fled. Sherman allowed a few days for the troops to rest, before realizing that there were no more rations left. He devided the troops into 6 main groups, and led them on a 400 mile trip to the ocean. They were told to pick up anything useful, and to burn anything else. After the Historic 'March to the Sea' there was a 60 mile wide path of utter destruction and ruin.

At the ocean, the troops recieved supplies to use and food to eat. They were then led to the cities of Blackwell and Bamberg. From there, they broke into the initial six groups, and met next in Columbia, South Carolina, Where they once again caused horrifying damage and mass destruction. They then poured salt over the fields, making some places unfurtile for up to twenty years.

The troops then split up again, this time into three groups. one was to demolish the railroad tracks, and the other two were told to head for Raleigh, North Carolina. There they met, and burned down another city. They then were allowed several days of rest.

Some people set off for Durham, (my home town). There, they came upon a large warehouse full of brightleaf tobacco, which was new, and could only be grown in the red clay of North Carolina. In 15 minutes, they cleared the warehouse, and rolled their own cigarettes. Mr. Green, the factory owner, was left broke, and without any stock. But later, after the war, he recieved several letters requesting his tobacco. He then became the richest tobacco seller in the nation. His tobacco is still famous. The baseball team "Durham Bulls" was named after the logo engraved on his cigars.

Back to the war...

After resting in Raleigh, Sherman's troops headed for their prime target, which, if destroyed, would win the war for the union. However, while on his way, he recieved a letter from Aberham Lincoln stating that the confederacy had surrendered. He thanked the union generals, and the president, then he went back to teaching in Ohio and Michigan.

In his Michigan classroom, he made a famouse speech to his class that made the cover of many popular Newspapers of the time. He said:

" I am tired and sick of War. It's glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have never fired a shot nor heard the shreaks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is Hell! "

Fifteen years after the civil war, he stated that he was sorry. He told people that the destruction he caused would "haunt him for the rest of his life." It was also later shown that Grant told Sherman to destroy everything in his path. Grant was minorly blamed for the losses, but Sherman remained the most hated american soldier.

William Sherman died in 1891 of unknown causes.

Later, Sherman became the namesake of many things, including: