General Sherman Archives - Larry Auerbach

February 14 —

US General, William Tecumseh Sherman — US General, William T. Sherman

On this day in 1864, Union General William T. Sherman enters Meridian, Mississippi, during a winter campaign that served as a precursor to Sherman’s March to the Sea campaign in Georgia. This often-overlooked Mississippi campaign was the first attempt by the Union at total warfare, a strike aimed not just at military objectives but also at the will of the Southern people. Sherman launched the campaign from Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the goal of destroying the rail center at Meridian and clearing central Mississippi of Confederate resistance. Sherman believed this would free additional Federal troops that he hoped to use on his planned campaign against Atlanta, Georgia, in the following months. Sherman led 25,000 troops east from Vicksburg and ordered another 7,000 under General William Sooy Smith to march southeast

from Memphis, Tennessee. They planned to meet at Meridian in eastern Mississippi. The Confederates had few troops with which to stop Sherman. General Leonidas Polk had less than 10,000 men to defend the state. Polk retreated from

the capital at Jackson as Sherman approached, and some scattered cavalry units could not impede the Yankees’ progress. Polk tried to block the roads to Meridian so the Confederates could move as many supplies as possible from the city’s warehouses, but Sherman pushed into the city on February 14 in the middle of a torrential rain. After capturing Meridian, Sherman began to destroy the railroad and storage facilities while he waited for the arrival of Smith. Sherman later wrote: “For five days, 10,000 men worked hard and with a will in that work of destruction… Meridian, with its depots, storehouses, arsenals, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists.” Sherman waited for Smith to arrive, but he never reached Meridian. On February 21, Confederate troops under General Nathan Bedford Forrest

waylaid Smith at West Point, Mississippi, and dealt the Federals a resounding defeat. Smith returned to Memphis, and Sherman turned back towards Vicksburg. Ultimately, Sherman failed to clear Mississippi of Rebels, and the Confederates repaired the rail lines within a month. Sherman did learn how to live off the land, however, and took notes on how to strike a blow against the civilian population of the South. He used that knowledge with devastating results in Georgia later that year.

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February 8 —

Today in 1820 is the birthday of one of the most famous figures of the American Civil War, on the Union side of the line, next to the President himself. His father died when he was 9, leaving a widow with eleven children, and no inheritance and no estate to raise them with. In desperation, our boy is sent to live with a family friend and, attorney Thomas Ewing, himself a prominent member of the Whig Party who had served as senator from Ohio and as the first Secretary of the Interior. Senator Ewing secured an appointment at West Point for his ward when he turned sixteen, where he was remembered as a bright and likeable fellow, who had a disregard for the merit system that would result in his dropping in overall ranking from four to six. After he reached adulthood, he would eventually marry one of Ewing’s daughter’s. He entered the Old Army as a second lieutenant and enjoyed a very prosperous and steady rise in rank and reputation. He served in the Second Seminole War and performed at a desk job during the Mexican War. He served in California as an able administrator but later resigned his commission in 1853 when he was denied a combat assignment. He would soon get his fill of combat in the war that was coming. After a short period of civilian life, In 1859, he accepted a job as the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in Pineville, he was drawn back into the military at the outbreak of hostilities. He quickly developed a reputation as an irascible leader who was prone to bouts of anxiety and depression, moderated by a fiery temper to match his short, bristling red hair. His leadership style caught the eye of the President, who promoted him to Brigadier General of Volunteers, a rank that brought him seniority over another future star, Ulysses S. Grant, his future commander. Eventually the stars would align to bring these two men, Ulysses S. Grant and his favorite subordinate, William Tecumseh Sherman to prominence as the saviours of the Northern Army. The South would have a different opinion of these two men.

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Western History Today: General Sherman enters Meridian, Mississippi

Western History Today: William Tecumseh Sherman Is Born Today