The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-08-19
TEE HEAD OF THH ARMY.
General William Tecumseh Sher'
man

NAA4S SSSeAuis MS PioAAiAShN P0
and the near approach of the time
when he retires from command to be
succeeded by General Phil. Sheridan,
lends an interest in the popular mind
to the old soldier, whose march to the
sea Is one Of the events Ofmodern his
tory.
General Sherman is a native Of
Ohio. He was born at Lancaster, on
the Sth of February 1920. He grad
uated at Yves: Point in his twenty
first year, and saw military service in
Florida and the war with Mexico and
elsewhere, before resigning his com
mission in the year 1883. Upon his
retirement from the army he 7egan
business in San Francisco, as a banker,
and continued this vocation four
years, including a residence in New
York city. From 1857 to 1859 he
practicsd law IN Leavenworth, Kan
sas. During the succeeding time up
to the secession of the state from the
Union, he acted as superintendent of
the Louisiana Military Academy. His
resignation took place in January,
1861, and was almost Immediately fol-
lowed by his return to the army.
The civil war gave Sherman the OPP
portunity of distinguished service, and
paced him in the FIRST rank of living
generals. His first commission was
that of colonel of regiment of infan
try. At the first battle of Bull Run
he commanded a brigade of volun-
teers, and was made brigadier-general
of volunteers. After serving a short
time IN the camp of instruction at st.
Louis, he took part in the campaign
conducted in the state of Tennessee
and Mississippi during which he was
promoted to the rank Of brigadier-
general of the regular army. In 0c-
tober, 1868, he succeeded General
Grant as commander Of the army de-
partment of the Tennessee. When,
in March, 1864, General Grant was
made lieutensnt-general and comman-
der Of all the Union force, Sherman
succeeded him as commander of the
military division of the Mississippi.
This included the entire southwest,
and his appointment gave him the
command of more than a hundred
thousand effective troops with whom
to operate against General j. f.
johnson. He began the invasion of
Georgia on the ID of May, 1868, MAX
ing his advance movement at the same
time with that of General Grant in
the east. His forces were superior in
number to those OF the Confederate
General, who, however, stubbornly
contested the advanceat every possible
point. There was much hard fighting
between the two armies, and it was
not until September I'd. that Atlanta
was captured by Major-General Sher-
man, but then newly promoted to
this rank. He occupied the city with
his army for ten weeks, when he com.
menced his march to the sea, having
previously dispatched some forty
thousand men under the command OI
General Thomas to repel General
Hoods advance into Tennessee. His
remaining forces consisted of sixty
thousand men, more or less. In les
than a month they had marched thre,
hundred miles without resistance
His first fight was at Fort McAllister,
below Savannah, tho surrender of
which stronghold preceded that ot
Savannah by eight days. In the mid
die of January, 1866, General Sher
{ man began his invasion of the Carroll
mas. His march through South Caro-
lima occupied six weeks. In Nortl
Carolina he encountered considerabl,
opposition, and fought two pitcheC
: battles Goldsboro was occupied ol
8 the 22d of March, 1865, Raleigh, oil
= April thirteenth. On the twenty
sixth Of April, General Johnson sur
: rendered his army to Sherman on tn
e same terms as had been granted t.
S General Lee by General Grant. This
surrender virtually closed the war.
e General Sherman continued in com
4 mand of the military division of tn
4 Mississippi year after the end of tn
n hostilities, with the rank of major
!. general in the regular army. He wa
promoted to be lieutenanant-generf
n when in July, 1866, Grant had bee
e made general of the army. His CON
n mand continued as before. Sherma
l. succeeded Grant as general of th
h army in March, 1869, after the ele,
e ton of the first named to the pres
dency. He spent part of 1871 an
e 1872 abroad, in Europe and the East
/ 4
J, quarters at Washington, but remove
IF to st. Louis in 1874. General Shel
u man has contributed to the history
|. the United States by the publicatiC
l. of his memoirs, in 1876. He is
" well preserved man of good presenc
"a a ready and able speaker, and Is col
sidered to possess capacity for sffsi
} as well as surprising military sbilit