Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-05-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

MEMOIRS OF GENERAL WILLIAM T SHER-
MAN. b. II nl-elf. In two volumes. New Orky
+. Appleton & Co. Through Jos shillugton
The cutlery raised against this book by va
fiOUs persons whose vanity has been RULED
by the flank. of-hand estimate Of their mill
taTv Dr civic services given By Gen. Sher-
man, can. oi course. only serve 10 advertise
the book. and the general reader instead Of
finding Justification for the wholesale con-
demUa.IOB of the memoirs by these interest
ed parties. WILL come To the conclusion that
they are Singularly interesting in narrative
and rather notably candid ia statement. As
regards his estimate of the political gener-
ais OF the war, Intelligent pubic opinion
VIII agree with nlm in the main. That he
may err frequently ia his estimate OF char
Just ana truthful there can be 10 question:
and there can De no greater misjuigment
than 10 interpret his work a the eiluSiOn of
personal vanity. Gen. sherman Is certainly
rot a vain man, a that term is applied.
Not the least Interesting portion Of the book
is that given 10 his care / IN life before the
war: his experiences as a banker and mill
taTy officer IN California and New York; As
a lawyer in Kansas; q street railroad presi-
dent III -. Louis; superintendent OF the Lou
iSiana Military Academy. &c, &c. His per-
sOnal part IN the early history Of California;
OF the birth Of san Francisco, where he lost
the chance TO make fortune by declining TO
join in the purchase of some of the uninviting
sand hills that now make the site of the
sityj; OF the gold discoveries, and the sue
ceeiing rush OF the world To the mines-en-
able him 10 supply a thoroughly fascinating
story of these romantic events. In this por-
ton of the book we have early mention of
many persons who have since figured in our
history. Thus on page - he tells us that a
report OF the gold discoveries, drawn up by
him to be sent to the President Of the
United States in Isis, was taken
down the coast to South America
in 1.-The bark La Lambaycena, owned and
navigated by Henry ID. Cooke, who has since
been the Governor of the District of Column
bia." He describes the famous Kit Carson,
the explorer AS "a small stoop-shouldered
man with reddish hair, freckled face, soft
blue eyes and nothing 10 indicate extraordi-
nary courage or daring" He mentions
making the acquaintance in 1858, at Downie-
vile, California, of "Mr. Stewart, now a
Senator from Nevada. He was married to
a daughter of Gov. Foote; was living i'm a
small frame house on the bar just below the
town; and his little daughter was playing
about the door IL the sand. Stewart was
then law CT in Downieville, in good prac-
tlsei afterwards, by some lucky stroke, he
uec0me part owner of valuable silver mine
in Nevada, and is now accounted million
aiTe.'
Naturally, the story of the March to the
Sea occupies some space in the book, and OF
course il is graphically told. But there is
scarce an uninteresting page in the two vol
umes; and though the memoirs are quite
certain TO keep toe writer in hot water for a
while, we suspect il will be easier to cavil at
his statements than TO seriously invalidate
their accuracy.