The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-02-20
General Sherman'S Last
March Ended.
A Long, Useful and Brilliant
Career Filled with HonorS
"A Brief Geographic
cal Sketch.

General William Tecumseh Sherman
was II years old the 9Th of the present
month, having been born at Lancaster,
Ohio, February 8, 1920. His father was
Charles K. Sherman, who was a Judge
of the superior court of that state. Judge
Sherman died when William T. was 9
years old, after which the son was
adopted into the family of Hon. Thomas
Ewing, member of congress, and long
pr Iminent in Ohio and National poll
tics. Through the influence OF Mr.. Ew-
ing young Sherman was admitted to the
military academy at West ONT in 1885,
from which institution he graduated in
1910, grading sixth in a class of forty,
General George Fl. Thomas being one OF
the number. Soon after his graduation
he was commissioned second lieutenant,
and ordered to Florida. After serving
there for two years, rising
meanwhile to the rank of first lieuten-
ant, his company was stationed at Fort
Moultrie, near Charleston, South Caro-
ina, where it remained for some two or
three years. During this time the act
i young lieutenant gained large
fund of information OF the topography Of
The southern country which his wonder
full memory enabled him to utilize in his
campaigns twenty years later. During
this time he also read law. In 1S46 his
company was ordered to California, and
made the journey by sea, rounding Cape
forn. Four years later he returned to
the states" and married Miss Ellen
Ewing, daughter of his adopted father,
who was tht n secretary of the interior
in the cabinet of President Taylor. The
lext year he was promoted to the rank
of captain. Two years later, in 1853, he
resigned his commission in the army,
md became the San Francisco agent Of
lucas, Turner & Co., bankers, in that
great center of activity on
The Pacific coast. This com-
pany wound up its business in 1857, af-
ter which Captain Sherman returned to
st. Louis. In 1853 he came to Leaven-
worth. Kansas. where he prscticed law
for short time. In 1860 he accepted
an appointment as superintendent of
new military academy in Louisiana,
but, the war breaking out year later,
he at once resigned and repaired to
Washington. His knowledge OF the
ate of the south at this time would
ave been most valuable, but the gov
.rnment refused to heed his warnings.
lie felt that the presidents call for U.s.
100 three months men was a dangerous
piece OF trifling in the face of q great
crisis, but his views were held TO be ex-
treme. But perhaps no man of the
time understood the southern temper
and situation better than he. He was
commissioned colonel of the Thirteenth
infantry in May 1861, and took part in
the disaster of Bull Run a few weeks
later, commanding brigade Including
the Thirteenth, Sixty-ninth and Seven
ty-ninth New York and Second Wis
consin regiments, which suffered very
severity, but behaved with courage
until the reinforcement OF the en-
envy demoralized the army and
the memorable retreat began. In Au-
gust following he received brigadier-
generals commission, to date from May
18th previous. In September OF the
same year General Sherman was ordered
to Kentucky, where he served under
General Anderson, the commander OF
that department. In October, 1861, ow-
ing to the i'll health of his superior,
General Sherman succeeded to the COM
mand of the department. Secretary
Stanton asked him for an estimate OF
the number Of men he thought neces.
sary in his department. He replied,
sixty thousand in Kentucky, and two
hundred thousand in this section" His
supposed extravagant notions as to the
magnitude of the work undertaken cost
him his command, and he was ordered
to the department of the west, under
General Halleck at st. Louis. But the
clearness OF his vision was soon veri.
fed.
In March of 1852 General Sherman
was assigned to the fifth division of the
army of the Tennessee, which had been
placed under the command of General
Grant short time before. That gen.
eral had Just won laurels by his bold
moves and great victories at Henry and
DOnelsOn, and was moving on
Corinth, Miss. At Pittsburg Landing,
April 9th, General Sherman was posted
at Shiloh church, and was the main fac.
tor in holding what was gained on the
9th, and aided most efficiently in the rout
of the enemy on the next day. 1t was
here that General Sherman first showed
the genius for war that his after service
so fully displayed. Both Grant and
Halleck recognized his value at once,
Grant saying: ITO his tSherman's) un-
dividual efforts l am indebted for the |
success of that battle" General Hal. |
leck said: Sherman saved the for.
tunes of the day on the 9th and contrib
uted largely to the glorious victory oil
the It'll" Here he was severely
wounded in the hand and had several
horses killed under him, but remained |
constantly in the field.
General Sherman's generalship was
thus established and recognized, and
his reputation as a soldier suffers by
nothing that occurred subsequently,.
His other campaigns are matters OF his
tory, known to every intelligent Ameri-
can, and need not be repeated in news
paper sketch. With the appointment OF
Grant as general of all the armies, July
p. 1866, Sherman became lieutenant
general, and with Grants accession TO
the presidency in 1869, general, which
title he retained until, at his own re-
quest, he was retired on his birthday,
February s, 1884, in order that General
Sheridan might succeed to the Office OF
The rank of general
had been created as special rank OF
honor for General Grant, and has been
held by these two officers only.
During 1S7l-72 General Sherman
in Europe, and was received
with the greatest honor everywhere.
He was honored in this. country with
the degree of Ii. ID. by several col
leges and universities.
In personal appearance General Sher-
man was every inch a soldier. He was