American History

From one military standpoint, the American Civil War has produced notable military leaders from both sides who have distinguished themselves in this conflict.  If there is one notable military leader in this conflict, it has to be General William Tecumseh Sherman.  It is said that it was Sherman who made a bigger impact in the war than his superior officer, General Ulysses S. Grant and even his commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln.

It is said that Shermans actions had proven to be decisive in ensuring the fortunes of the war was firmly on the side of the Union forces and ensured the reelection of Lincoln instead of former general George McClellan.  Politically, Shermans victories came at the time when the presidential elections were taking place and the war did little to prevent it from happening.  Opposing Lincoln was his former general McClellan whom he relieved following a series of defeats in the hands of the Confederate forces in the early years of the conflict.  His party was considering negotiating with the South for a peaceful settlement that would have resulted in the maintenance of the status quo.  The victories Sherman gave negated those plans following his capture of Atlanta, Georgia, one of the key cities of the South.

Militarily, Sherman was known for his bold and aggressive drive through Georgia after being tasked by General Grant to take Atlanta.  It was here that Sherman made a daring move that involved maneuver warfare where his armies clashed with Confederate Genera Joseph Johnston who gave him a good fight until he was relieved by the less effective John Bell Hood whom Sherman defeated, making the road to Atlanta easy to take.  As Sherman drove across Georgia, he led his men into the heart of the Confederacy, taking a risk from being separated from their support systems and lived off the land.  Along the way, they destroyed infrastructures in order to render them useless to the enemy, laying waste until his armies reached the shores of Savannah.  His armies actions practically cut the proverbial legs of the Confederacy, crippling them and weakening their resolve and capability to continue waging war (Senour, 263-267  Sherman, Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, 383).  Shermans actions were consistent to what was considered total war where in the offensive aspect, involves not only the full commitment of forces, but also strategic warfare when his armies went about destroying the enemys infrastructure.

Although his drive across Georgia was criticized for being brutal or cruel, Sherman did not show any remorse or regret doing it and this was underscored years after the war when he addressed a group of cadets in a military academy that war is hell where he echoed an earlier sentiment n his letter to the city council of Atlanta following its capture when they appealed to him to rescind the order for the residents to evacuate the city when he said

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will.  War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices today than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and a division of our country.  If the United States submits to a division now, it will not stop, but will go on until we reap the fate of Mexico, which is eternal warI want peace, and believe it can only be reached through union and war, ad I will ever conduct a war with a view to perfect and early success. But my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for anything.  Then I will share with you the last cracker, and watch you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter (Sherman, Letter to the Mayor and City Council of Atlanta).

It can be inferred here that Sherman saw the necessity to evacuate the city while his troops were there to preclude any chance of continued guerilla warfare or resistance by the residents whom he presumed were still loyal to their cause and so as long as their resolve remains, they were regarded as dangerous, hence the need to forcefully evacuate them from the city as a way of pacifying it.  In addition, Sherman was a realist and saw war for what it truly was and was not superficial about describing it compared to what others said about gaining glory.  Yet despite the hellish nature of war, Sherman knew that it was necessary to victory and his drive through Georgia had proven that.
By way of conclusion, General Sherman is regarded by military historians to be one of the best generals in military history.  The way he conducted his campaign earned him that title.  He fought the war the way it should be fought with the purpose of defeating the enemy and utilized the best means to make it happen, as exemplified by total warfare.  Another admirable attribute to Sherman was his realistic view of war.  There is truly no glory in war but for a soldier like him, he knew it was necessary to go through it in order to achieve peace once again.