Back to Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete
From "Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete" by Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh)
William Tecumseh Sherman
General in the Union Army, author of the memoirs.
Core Belief
"The Union must be preserved at all costs, even if it requires harsh measures. He believes in the necessity of war to achieve lasting peace."
Worldview
Sherman sees the world as a battleground where strength and determination are the keys to survival. He has a pragmatic view of human nature, acknowledging both its virtues and its flaws.
Personality
Intelligent, ambitious, and sometimes seen as severe, Sherman possesses a keen strategic mind and a strong will. He is dedicated to the Union cause but also shows a capacity for empathy and reflection.
In Their Own Words
"What is now offered is not designed as a history of the war, or even as a complete account of all the incidents in which the writer bore a part, but merely his recollection of events, corrected by a reference to his own memoranda, which may assist the future historian when he comes to describe the whole, and account for the motives and reasons which influenced some of the actors in the grand drama of war."
"I wish my friends and enemies to understand that I disclaim the character of historian, but assume to be a witness on the stand before the great tribunal of history, to assist some future Napier, Alison, or Hume to comprehend the feelings and thoughts of the actors in the grand conflicts of the recent past, and thereby to lessen his labors in the compilation necessary for the future benefit of mankind."
"I am publishing my own memoirs, not theirs, and we all know that no three honest witnesses of a simple brawl can agree on all the details. How much more likely will be the difference in a great battle covering a vast space of broken ground, when each division, brigade, regiment, and even company, naturally and honestly believes that it was the focus of the whole affair! Each of them won the battle. None ever lost. That was the fate of the old man who unhappily commanded."
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