General Sherman is known for burning Atlanta. That is as much I knew about him. Having been raised in Boston, my schooling in American History emphasized the Revolutionary War. But my friend and author Megan Kate Nelson has piqued my interest in the Civil War.
Why did I read about Sherman? The publisher offered me a copy of the book. Even better than a free book, is a good free book. And Fierce Patriot is very good book.
Robert O’Connell does not plug through Sherman’s life in a purely chronological way. He breaks the biography into three parts. The first is Sherman’s career. Starting with his West Point education, then moving from soldier into banker, then back to soldier. The second part covers his influence on military strategy and the role of changing technology on the battlefield. The last part focuses on his personal life. My gripe with the book is that the second and third parts are less successfully executed than the first part.
The author’s main thesis is that Sherman was a nationalist. He believed in the UNITED States and would not put up with the South’s secession. Even though he burned a path across the South in his march to the sea, he made his army recognize that the enemy was fellow countrymen. There was plenty of pillaging to feed his army. The march was designed to be painful and to deliver psychological blows to the South. But there was not supposed be raping and murdering of southern citizens. The goal was to once again make them citizens of the United States.
His nationalist beliefs stayed with him after the war. He was a key player in the building of the transcontinental railroad, literally binding California to the rest of the country.
Sherman’s personal life was a mess. His father died young, leaving a flock of children and no money for his widow to support them. Sherman was adopted by the wealthy and politically connected Ewing family. Certainly, the Ewing family played key roles is setting him up for future success. Sherman ended up marrying his foster sister.
All of this is mixed together in wonderfully written style by O’Connell.
Sherman’s march to sea happened 150 years ago in 1864. If you’re looking for a way to learn more about the battles and the man that lead the march, Fierce Patriot is a book you should add to your “To Read” shelf.