William Tecumseh Sherman

Introduction
Early life and career
Civil War years
Later life

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Union troops attacking Atlanta during the American Civil War

Augustus Saint-Gaudens's Sherman Monument

Learn about Ohio's contributions of soldiers and generals including Ulysses S. Grant to the Union cause

At a Glance

William Tecumseh Sherman summary

Quizzes

54th Massachusetts Regiment. "Storming Fort Wagner," by Kurz & Allison, c. 1890. Depicts the assault on the S.C. fort on 7/18/1863. American Civil War, 54th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry, 1st all African-American regiment, black soldiers, black history

American Civil War Quiz

Related Questions

How did Confederate commanders misunderstand William Tecumseh Sherman's destination during the March to the Sea?
How did John Bell Hood's strategy around Atlanta differ from Joseph E. Johnston's strategy?
How did Joseph E. Johnston try to slow William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through Georgia?
How did Thomas Ewing help William Tecumseh Sherman attend West Point?
How did Ulysses S. Grant influence William Tecumseh Sherman's Civil War career?
How did William Tecumseh Sherman perform at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point?
How did William Tecumseh Sherman receive the name Tecumseh?
How did William Tecumseh Sherman's army obtain food and supplies during the March to the Sea?
How did William Tecumseh Sherman's campaign in South Carolina compare with his campaign in Georgia?
How far did William Tecumseh Sherman's army march from Atlanta to Savannah?
How long did Sherman's March to the Sea last?
How many enslaved Black people were freed during Sherman's March to the Sea?
How many soldiers did William Tecumseh Sherman command at the start of the Atlanta Campaign?
What did William Tecumseh Sherman command during the Chattanooga Campaign?
What did William Tecumseh Sherman give Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift after taking Savannah?
What role did William Tecumseh Sherman have at the First Battle of Bull Run?
What role did William Tecumseh Sherman play in the Vicksburg Campaign?
What were Sherman's neckties and how were they made?
When and where did William Tecumseh Sherman die?
When and where was William Tecumseh Sherman born?
When did Sherman's March to the Sea take place?
Where and when did Joseph E. Johnston surrender Confederate forces to William Tecumseh Sherman?
Where did William Tecumseh Sherman serve after graduating from West Point in 1840?
Where did William Tecumseh Sherman work before Louisiana seceded from the Union?
Which three Union armies served under William Tecumseh Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign?
Who adopted William Tecumseh Sherman after his father died?
Who commanded the right and left wings of William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea?
Who were the bummers who followed William Tecumseh Sherman's army through Georgia?
Why did Confederate president Jefferson Davis replace Joseph E. Johnston with John Bell Hood?
Why did Savannah surrender to William Tecumseh Sherman without a siege?
Why did William Tecumseh Sherman miss fighting in the Mexican-American War?
Why did William Tecumseh Sherman order Atlanta civilians to evacuate after the city's capture?
Why did William Tecumseh Sherman resign as superintendent of the Louisiana military academy?
Why did William Tecumseh Sherman resign from the U.S. Army in 1853?
Why did William Tecumseh Sherman suffer heavy losses at Kennesaw Mountain?
Why do historians debate whether Sherman's March to the Sea was an example of total war?
Why was Atlanta an important target for William Tecumseh Sherman's army?
Why was William Tecumseh Sherman selected to command the Military Division of the Mississippi in 1864?
Why were William Tecumseh Sherman's first surrender terms for Joseph E. Johnston rejected?
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What was George Patton most famous for?
How did George Patton die?
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External Websites

Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas - Biography of William Tecumseh Sherman
Mr. Lincoln's White House - The Generals and Admirals: William T. Sherman (1820-1891)
The Ohio State University - eHistory - William Tecumseh Sherman
Library of Congress - Digital Collections - William T. Sherman Papers
North Carolina History Project - Biography of William Tecumseh Sherman
American Battlefield Trust - Biography of William T. Sherman
PBS - American Experience - Biography of William Tecumseh Sherman
Essential Civil War Curriculum - William Tecumseh Sherman
National Museum of American History - 3 surprising facts about Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman
Bill of Rights Institute - William Tecumseh Sherman and Total War

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

William Tecumseh Sherman - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
William Tecumseh Sherman - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

William Tecumseh Sherman

United States general

Written by

Charlton W. Tebeau

Emeritus Professor of History, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Author of A History of Florida.

Charlton W. Tebeau

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

William Tecumseh Sherman (born February 8, 1820, Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.—died February 14, 1891, New York, New York) was an American Civil War general and a major architect of modern warfare. He led Union forces in crushing campaigns through the South, marching through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–65). Named Tecumseh in honor of the renowned Shawnee chieftain, Sherman was one of 11 children of Judge Charles R. Sherman, who died when the boy was only nine....

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