General+William+Tecumseh+Sherman

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William Tecumseh Sherman was born February 8, 1820 in Lancaster Ohio. During his childhood, his father dies and his widowed wife was not able to take care of him. Sherman moved in with his aunt where he spent the remainder of his childhood. Sherman later attended West Point Military Academy. After graduation, he was sent to California during the Mexican War where he invested with a bank instead of military duties. After California, Sherman moved to Louisiana where he taught at modern day Louisiana State University (LSU). When whispers of secession spread across the south, Sherman said he would always defend the Constitution as long as a shred of it exists. Sherman returned to Ohio and wrote a letter to the Secretary of War offering his services. Sherman was put in command as the colonel of a brigade in the First Division of McDowell's army. Sherman was quickly promoted to a brigadier general and frequently switched positions throughout the war. As a brigadier general in the Cumberland Army, Sherman asked for troops. He asked for 60,000 in order to defeat the enemy in Kentucky, and 200,000 to end the war in his region. After this, he was labeled "crazy" by the media. Sherman was relieved of his position and moved to command troops in Missouri to escape the criticism, but it continued to follow him. The situation changed for the better when Sherman relieved Ulysses S. Grant. U. S. Grant became in charge of the entire Army of the Tennessee and Sherman was in charge of the Fifth Division of Grant's army. Sherman was in command at the battle of Shiloh and eventually took Grant's position over the Army of the Tennessee. Sherman and the Army of the Tennessee fought the battle of Chattanooga and started the Atlanta Campaign. During constant resistance by the confederate troops under Johnston, Sherman was able to press on due to his overwhelming number of troops. Sherman eventually made it to Atlanta and captured the city. After Atlanta, Sherman began is most well known campaign, the March to the Sea. On his way to Savannah, Sherman, starting with Atlanta, burned everything in his path. He led a devastating trail of mayhem across the south ending up in Raleigh, North Carolina where Johnston surrendered to Sherman eight days after Lee surrendered to Grant. After the war, Grant was elected president of the United States and Sherman assumed his position as General over the entire US Army. Sherman retired in 1883.