The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-19

lesson was among his greatest.
Up to the time of his last illness Gen.
Sherman kept fully in sympathy with the
practical world around him, received his
welcome in public places with undimin-
ished interest, and zealously talked and
wrote of and for the army to which re-
clprocal devotion held him. He enjoyed
being in the centre of events,
of hearing and discussing whatever was
going on, even after he had passed his
SEVENTEEN year, was as young and vlgor-
GUS in mind and body as he had been
twenty years before. His experience |
had been great. for, though famous al
most exclusively as soldier, he had also |
been banker, lawyer Military Superin-
tendent, man of the world, and, as citi- |
zen of the United States, lie bad met and
known all kinds of people.
Of his skill and intrepidityas an officer
there has been but one voice. Rousseau,
in speaking of his conduct at Shiloh,
said: NO man living could surpass
him." and General Nelson remarked a
few hours before his death: During
eight hours the fate of the army ON the
field of Shiloh depended on the life OF
one man. If General Sherman had fallen
the army would have been captured or
destroyed" Gen. Grant added, 'To his
individual efforts | am indebted for the
success of that BATTLE And he also
wrote in his memoirs, "A casualty to
Sherman that would have taken him
from the field that day would have been
sad one for the troops engaged at
Shiloh. And how near we came to this!
| On the 9th Sherman was shot twice, once
in the hand, once in the shoulder, the
ball cutting his coat and making a slight
wound, and third ball passed through
his hat. In addition to this he had sew
eral horses shot during the day"
Sherman had the essential qualities
for great General. He was well
equipped in military lore, was energetic,
brave strong of heart and will, intensely
patriotic and imbued with power of in
spring confidence and enthusiasm. His
mind was active, his alertness of decision
remarkable, and while he could grasp
instantly great points in strategy he
could also master quickly the details.
| His direct family antecedcnts were not
such as to lead him at first to consider Il
soldier profession rs his aim. His
father, Judge Charles sherman, was Il
| leading lawyer, as his own father had
been before him, and was descendant
of Samuel Sherman. who came from
| ESStN NbulllNs iAl-lttllNl' III AN'bt tNli'A oNA
| tied in Connecticut. The wife of Judge
Sherman, whose maiden name was Mary
Hoyt, was n woman of superior traits.
In 1929 she was left widow with II
children, the eldest at college, the young
est one month cid. William TCcumseh
Sherman, the seventh child, was born at
Lancaster, Ohio, February s, 1920, and
was named in glOriiiCatiom of the Indian
chief. whom his father much admired.
At the age of l6 he entered the United
States Military Academy, and in 1910 he
graduated, sixth in his class. lie was
ordered to Florida, and served there UNI
til the next year He was at Fort MCul.
trie for time, and in 1916 was sent to
California, where he remained on duty
during the Mexican war, rising to the
rank of Captain. Seeing that civil was
inevitable, he accepted n COlOnel'S com
mission with the Thirteenth Regular In
fantry, and soon after his arrival in
Washington Col. Sherman was placed in
command of a brigade, aud that brigade
he led at the battle of Bull Run. Two
weeks later he was a BrigadiGr General
of Volunteers. Shiloh and the Major
Generals commission followed. and then
came the NickSburg contest, in which
Sherman bore well-TCmembered part
Grants promotion to the Lieutenant
GeneralShip led to ShcrmanS becoming
his successor in command of the military
division of the Mississippi. and he began
then to prepare for his movement upon
Atlanta. That campaign again demon.
strated his wonderful foresight and ac-
tivity. 1t was followed by still more
important movement the Georgia cam.
paign and march to the sea.
OF that event it has been sucCinctly
written: lie cut loose from all that was
behind him, burned his bridges, threw
aside superiluous baggage, and marched
without provisions into the heart of the
enemy's country. He set at defiance
many of the old and established maXims
of warfare, and when bis daring project
was first made public the world was
astonished. Military critics and warriors
in this country and in Europe predicted
the destruction of his army. They said
"The people of the South and on the
line of his proposed march would hang
about his army as lightning plays along
the thunder Clouds These same critics
declared that people would remove ali
provisions beyond his reach, SO that his
soldiers must perish by starvation. -
The BritiSh Irmy ard Mary Gdzette said
"IIe has done either one of the most
brilliant or most foolish things ever per.
formed by military leader Sherman,
however, trusting in Thomas and Grant,
his own army, ms own genius and q
favoring Providence. set duly out on his
march. He drove before him the troops
of the enemy, and in short time estab.
lished his headquarters in the Executive
Mansion at Macon. The soldiers Jared
| Gu t1.a 60 of Lad n,
army was ever more cOntcntcd or in bet
ter condition. The great column swept
splendidly on through cities, villages and
forests. 1t was a tiiumphal march. All
opposition melted before them. Savan.
nah was the next point to be gained and
, Sherman was soon able to send the fol
lowing dispatch to the President of the
United States: II beg to present to YOU
as a Christmas Gift the city of Savannah
with $50 guns and plenty of ammunition
and about $4,000 bales of cotton So
ended one of the most remarkable cam.
paigns in the worlds military history
/ TO the prestige of his Georgia achieve.
ments Sherman added the glory of a sue.
cessful campaign in the CarOlinas, and.
( sweeping on in his reSistleSs way, he re-
ceived the surrender of Johnston.
The war ended, but Sherman had now
found his life work. and remained with
the army. In 1865 he was made Lieuten.
ant General in the regular army, and in
1869, on Grants ascendency to the Presi
dency, became General, while Sheridan
became Lieutenant General. Seven years
later an act was passed that these offices
should become vacant with the deaths OF
Sherman and Sheridan, so that additional
honor was thus conferred upon these
veterans. Gen. Scott held the Office OF
Lieutenant General by brevet only so
that from Washington TO Grant the Office
was not filed as Of full rank. On the Stl
of February, 1884, Gen. Sherman reached
his siXty-fOurth year and, according "a
the act of Congress establishing the age
of retirement withdrew from the army
, President Arthur paid n glowing tribute
TO the soldier in his order announcing
his retirement.
= In 1884 James G.. Blame wrote General
Sherman that it was not improbable he
| (Sherman) would be nominated, and in
} that case it was ms duty to accept. Al
that time the press and people had gen.
orally believed that Mr.. Blaine wanted
the position, and 1t was therefore men.
toned that his generous letter. abnegat
ing himself, should be appreciated by
Sherman. The latter, however. replied
with characteristic note, declaring he
would not accept candidacy, and add