Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-02-20
DEI7H on GENERAL SHERMAN
4 sketch Of the sinnCh OId soldiers

last Of the great trio Of generals in the war
for the Union, died at his home in New
York city shortly before O'Clock on Sat
urday afternoon. His last illness was Of
about 10 days duration It began in a Sc
we're cold Erysipelas developed few days
later, and after lowering between life and
death from Wednesday Of last week to Sat
urday, the end came peacefully and quiet
ly, finding the old warrior surrounded by
his children and other intimate friends
Gen. Sherman was born at Lancaster,
Ohio, in 1920 lie was the sixth child Of
Judge of the supreme court Of that state,
his brother Senator John Sherman. being
the eighth in a family Of II children. In
his childhood William Tecumseh was adopt
ed by Thomas Ewing, well-known states
man of the Western Reserve He obtained
a cadetship at West Point, graduating there
in 1870 lie saw army service in various
minor capacities, but in 1858 he resigned
his commission TO establish branch bank
ing house in San Francisco This business
was given up in 1851, when Sherman re
turned to New York aud entered upon the
practice of law, TO the study of which he
had given attention When the call to
arms came in 1861, Sherman promptly vol
unteered his services and was made u0l0nel
in the 18th regiment Of the regular army.
He took part in the first battle of Bull Run
as the commander of brigade His ser
vice in that action was credtable, and in
recognition of it he was made a brigader
general of volunteers, and was assigned to
the department of the Cumberland under
Gen. Robert Anderson, whom he succeeded
when i'll health compelled the hero of Fort
Sumter to retire few months later After
Grant had taken Forts Henry and Donel-
son Sherman was assigned to command
division in the department of the Iennes-
see He was with Grant in the successful
campaign against Nicksburg, and for his
important work here was made a brigader
in the regular army lie performed dis.
tingushed service at Chickamauga and in
the operations which followed that import
ant battle. Then came the Atlanta cam
paign, when Hood was gradually driven be-
fore the northern troops, Atlanta was evac-
uated and Sherman occupied the city.
His action in establishing military rule at
Atlanta and insisting on the depopulation
of the city won him the bitter hatred of
the southern people at the time, but the
words in which he justified this action in
his letter to the mayor and council had in
them the ring Of genuine patriotism which
was inborn and farseeing He said
You cannot qualify war IN harsher terms than
| will War is cruelty, and you cannot refine IT,
aud those who brought war into our country de.
serve all the maledictions people can pour out
know had no hand ia making this war, and !
know will make more sacrifices today than any
of you to secure peace But you cannot have
peace and division Of our country. You
might well appeal against the thunder storms
as rai hes lsh of
are Inevitable and the only way the people Of At
lanta can hope once more to live ln peace and
quiet at home is TO stop the war. want
peace and believe it can only be- reached through
union and war, and | will ever conduct war wiki
a view to perfect and early success
This was in August, 1864. Sherman oc-
cupied the city until the middle of NOvem-
ber, when he began his famous march to
the sea- the story Of which is familiar to
every school-boy He cut loose from his
base Of supplies, subsisted on the country,
destroyed all the enemys lines of commu-
nication, and reached Savannah Dec. l3.
From there he marched into the Carolinas,
occupying Columbia Feb. Il. Following
this came the capture of Fayetteville, y.
c.. Goldsboro and Raleigh, and the surren-
der of Gen. johnson at Durham Station, y.
c., on the 26th Of April. Gen. Sherman
completed his famous march of over 260O
going on to Washington from April % to
May n. 1t was on the sst-uamed date
that he rode at the head of his troops in the
grand review before President johnson and
Gen. Grant From June, 1865, to March
1869, he commanded the military division
of the Mississippi, with headquarters at ST.
Louis When Grant was made general in
1866 Sherman was promoted to be lieuten
ant general, and on Grants succession to
the presidency he succeeded him with head
quarters at Washington. At his own re-
quest he was placed on the retired list in
1891, and for the particular purpose that
Sheridan might be appointed to the highest
Office in the army in his place
The course of Gen. Shermans life in re
cent years is well known. He was a man
of greater brilliancy and versatility of
mind than either Grant or Sheridan. He
had liking for all his old comrades, a
great enjoyment in social life, and especial
ly an enjoyment in the companionship of
Young people, with whom his relations were
of an ideal character.
He steadily refused all solicitations to en-
ter political life, though there is small doubt
that on two occasions at least he could have
had the Republican nomination for the
presidency, when his election would have
surely followed.
In his personal appearance Gen. Sher
man was tall-more than six feet in height
erect, and quick and alert in his move
ments.
His wife died in 1888. His surviving
family consists of six children-two sons
and four daughters The general was him
self Protestant in faith, but Mrs. Sher-
man was devout Roman Catholic, and the
eldest son, Thomas Ewing Sherman, some
years ago entered the Catholic priesthood
as a member of the Jesuit society. The
Younger son, Tecumseh, after graduating
at college, studied law, and in June last
was admitted to the bar in New York city.
| The eldest daughter, Eleanor Mary Sher-
man, was married in May, 1880, to Lieut.,
Alexander NJ Thackara of the United
States navy, now resident of Rosemont,
| Pa. Another daughter is the wife of Mr..
T. W Fitch of Pittsburg. The two young
er daughters, Lizzie and Rachel, are un-
married.
Both houses of Congress took suitable
action when the news of Gen. Sherman
death was formally communicated. The
announcement of his death was a shock to
President Harrison, for the President served
under Gen Sherman during his famous
march to the sea, and the two had long
been personal friends By the special di
rection of Gen. Sherman before his death
his body will not lie in state, but the buria
will be at st. Louis with full military hon
ors, and his grave will be beside that of his
wife and two children who died in theil