William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 – 1891) Union Army General, Supreme Commander of Savannah Campaign, Author – The Patricians Genealogical Research Foundation

“An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.”

“But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for any thing. Then will I share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter.”

“Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other.”

“He belonged to that army known as invincible in peace, invisible in war.”

“I am tired and sick of war.”

“Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.”

“I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace.”

“If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.” (Lyndon Johnson was not the first to use these words.)

“If the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity seeking.”

William possessed a sophisticated wry wit that both his friends and his soldiers appreciated, and his detractors detested, particularly the press. He quite often voiced his loathing of the newspapermen in eloquently sardonic asides whenever the opportunity arose.

Many military historians consider him the “first modern general”. He was indeed the first modern general to favor the employment of artillery bombardment over rifle brigade fire as a main battlefield weapon. WWII General George Patton, Jr., 1885 – 1945) went on to perfect tank artillery warfare as his preferred battlefield offensive strategy.

William and General Philip Sheridan (1831 – 1888) also perfected the “scorched earth” form of military offensive. It involved destroying anything and everything, including civilians, that could aid the enemy. Although not new to them, they both made the strategy an integral and focal part of their respective battlefield plans. After receiving the full brunt, the South eagerly sued for peace shortly after Sherman’s army marched into Savannah, Georgia in December of 1965.

If there ever was a case where “the end justifies the means”, the bloodiest civil war in U.S. history concluded earlier than may have been experienced if negotiations between the two sides failed to bring about a permanent armistice for an extended time. As a result, countless lives were spared, not to mention the Confederate economy, which verged on collapse at the time of total capitulation to the will of the Union.

Henry V Lancaster (1387 – 1422) achieved a one-sided victory at the Battle of Agincourt (25 October 1415) in a similar manner, i.e., “the end justifies the means”. He simply threw out the book of chivalrous battlefield protocol and started his own with a continuous barrage of English longbow arrows that completely decimated the French knights and their assembled army.

U.S. Senator John Sherman (1823 – 1900) provided his brother with both moral and financial support during the war. He was the principal architect of the redesign of the federal financial system that funded the Union Army’s war chest. John later authored the Sherman Anti-Trust Act 0f 1890 which President Benjamin Harrison signed into law. Their other brother Charles Taylor Sherman served as a Federal District Court judge from 1867 to 1872.

Medal of Honour recipient Union Army Major General Oliver Otis Howard (1830 – 1909) served under William’s command during the infamous “The March to the Sea” campaign. Nicknamed “uh-oh” Howard for his defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). In civilian life after the war, he was instrumental in founding Howard University, which was named after him. William possessed a sophisticated wry wit that both his friends and his soldiers appreciated, and his detractors detested, particularly the press. He quite often voiced his loathing of the newspapermen in eloquently sardonic asides whenever the opportunity arose.

If there ever was a case where “the end justifies the means”, the bloodiest civil war in U.S. concluded earlier than may have been the experience if negotiations between the two sides failed to bring about a permanent armistice for an extended period. As a result, countless lives were spared, not to mention the Confederate economy, which verged on collapse at the time of total capitulation to the will of the Union.

Henry V Lancaster, King of England (1387 – 1422) was actuallly the first military commander of the medieval era to employ non-traditional battlefield armanents, principally the English longbow, on the battlefield against his enemies. He, in fact. did so effectively at the Battle of Agincourt – 25 October 1415.

Medal of Honour recipient Major General O.O. Howard (1830 – 1909) served under William’s command during the infamous “The March to the Sea” campaign. Nicknamed “uh-oh” Howard for his defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). His command leadership, however, contributed greatly to most of the other major Civil War battles he fought. In civilian life after the war, he was instrumental in founding Howard University, which was named after him.

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William Tecumseh Sherman
Birth 1820 in Lancaster, Fairfield, Ohio, USA
Death 1891 in New York, New York, New York, USA

Ancestry.com citation/Lineages

19th cousin 4x removed LANCE-DAVIS-ASTLEY-BEAUCHAMP-MOWBRAY-HOWARD-WOOD-COLLINS

20th cousin 3x removed STODDARD-DOWNING-WINGFIELD-MONTAGUE-MORTIMER-PLANTAGENET-HOWARD-WOOD-COLLINS

18th cousin 5x removed TAYLOR-BENEDICT-BRIDGUM-WATSON-PLANTAGENET-CAPET-ROHAN-LANDRY-BOURG-CYR-BRULE

35th cousin 3x removed STODDARD-READE-MARMION-DE NAMUR-CHARLEMAGNE-HAINAUT-LENS-DEMAREST-OUTWATER-COLLINS

2nd cousin 5x removed of husband of 1st cousin 10x removed PAINE-TRIPP-OUTWATER-COLLINS