Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
General William T. Sherman
Misc. Mss.
Introduction
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content
Inventory
Introduction
Typed transcriptions exist for much of this collection. Although not inventoried below, transcriptions
also exist for Sherman’s
correspondence found in the Rutherford B. Hayes Papers and other collections at
the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center.
.Biographical Sketch
William T. Sherman was born on February 8,
1820, in Lancaster, Ohio. His younger brother was John Sherman
who later became a United States Senator. He was named after Tecumseh, the
famous Shawnee
leader. Sherman's
father died in 1829. Sherman's
mother could not take care of all of her children and had several of them
adopted into other families. Thomas Ewing, a neighbor and close family friend,
adopted William Sherman.
Sherman attended common schools and received an
appointment to the United States Military Academy
at West Point in 1836. He graduated in 1840,
ranking sixth in a class of forty-two students. He was commissioned a second
lieutenant of artillery. He participated in the Seminole War from 1840 to 1842.
During the late 1840s, he was stationed in California
and helped Californians secure their independence from Mexico in the
Mexican War. By 1850, he was in St. Louis, Missouri, and then New
Orleans, Louisiana,
on commissary duty. In 1850, he married Eleanor Boyle "Ellen" Ewing,
the daughter of Thomas Ewing of Lancaster.
The couple had eight children and a thirty-eight year marriage. Sherman resigned his
commission with the rank of captain in 1853.
After leaving the military, Sherman moved to San
Francisco, California
and became the manager of a banking firm. The company made some unsound
investments and lost most of their investors' money. Sherman refunded all of the money that his
investors lost from his own savings. In 1857, he joined a bank in St. Louis, Missouri.
It failed as well, and Sherman began to practice
law in Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1859, Sherman
became the superintendent of the Louisiana
Military Academy.
He also served as a professor of engineering, architecture, and drawing. At the
beginning of the American Civil War in 1861 Louisiana's
seceded from the Union. Sherman resigned his position and returned to
the North. In May 1861, he joined the Union army and was immediately
commissioned a brigadier-general of volunteers. He commanded the Third Brigade,
First Division, of the Army of Northeastern Virginia at the First Battle of
Bull Run in July 1861. His men suffered numerous casualties in the battle. He
was transferred to the Department of the Cumberland
in August 1861, and Sherman
assumed command of that department in October of that year. In this position, Sherman played a vital role in securing Kentucky
for the Union.
In the first year of the war, Sherman was highly
critical of the Union war effort. He believed that an army of volunteers could
not successfully prosecute the war. He argued that a massive army of seasoned
veterans was necessary for the North to triumph. Sherman
was outspoken in his opinions and was reassigned to inspection duty at St. Louis, Missouri,
in December 1861. In February and March 1862, he was responsible for shipping
supplies to General Ulysses S. Grant's army. Grant was working to secure
western Tennessee for the Union.
Sherman
developed a close friendship with Grant. Grant selected Sherman
to organize the Fifth Division of the Army of the Tennessee. This division fought hard at the
Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, and Sherman
received two minor wounds. Grant gave Sherman
credit for the Northern victory at this battle and Sherman was promoted to the rank of major
general of volunteers in May 1862.
During the remainder of 1862 and the first
seven months of 1863, Sherman participated in the
campaign against Vicksburg,
Mississippi. He performed well
and was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in the regular army in July
1863. In the fall of 1863, Sherman assumed
command of the Army of the Tennessee and
helped win the Union a victory at the Battle
of Chattanooga. He pursued a Southern force into East Tennessee after Chattanooga, and he
succeeded in driving the Confederates from the region. During the first few
months of 1864, Sherman was stationed at Vicksburg and led raids into Mississippi. He attempted to cut railroad
lines, but he met with limited success.
In March 1864, Sherman
assumed command of the Military Division of the Mississippi. His command included all of the
soldiers operating west of the Allegheny Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. He amassed 100,000 men at Nashville. His intention
was to defeat General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army. After battles at Kennesaw Mountain,
Peach Tree Creek, and a number of other places along the way, Sherman's
force entered Atlanta, Georgia in early September 1864. Sherman had used a
variety of tactics to avoid direct military confrontations with the Southerners
during this campaign. He repeatedly used flanking maneuvers to prevent his army
from having to attack well-fortified Confederate positions.
Following the fall of Atlanta,
Sherman set out
on a "March to the Sea." He determined
to break the will of the Southern population between Atlanta
and Savannah, Georgia. Sherman left his wagon train behind and
ordered his men to feed themselves with what they could find along the way. The
Northerners even requisitioned food from the slave population. Sherman realized that the civilian population
was supplying the Confederate military with food and other supplies. He decided
that one way to win the war was to break the will of the civilian population
and to end its ability and desire to equip an army. He left Atlanta
on November 15, 1864, and traveled the more than two hundred miles to Savannah by December 21.
He faced little resistance from the Confederate military. In 1865, Sherman led his army into the Carolinas,
using the same tactics that he had used on the "March to the Sea."
General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered at Durham Station, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865 and the Civil
War soon came to an end.
Sherman remained in the military following the
Civil War, serving first as the commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi and then commander of the Military Division
of the Missouri.
When Ulysses S. Grant became President of the United
States in 1869, Sherman
replaced him as General of the United States Army. He retired on November 1,
1883, and was succeeded by General Philip Sheridan. Sherman
moved to New York City
in 1886. He died on February 14, 1891, and was buried in St. Louis, Missouri.
.Ohio History Central/Ohio
Historical Society.
Scope and
Content
This small collection of miscellaneous
correspondence dates from 1862 to 1891. The
bulk of the collection consists of originals, photocopies, and transcriptions of
letters written by Sherman
after the Civil War, during his years as General of the United States Army and
in retirement. The subject matter is
wide ranging - touching on the Civil War and military matters including promotions,
pardons, recommendations, pensions, appointments, disciplinary actions, and travels.
The correspondence also includes replies to inquiries regarding the activities
of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee
and the Grand Army of the Republic. Additionally,
the collection contains numerous letters written by Sherman
to Mary Audenreid in the decade following the death
of her husband, Colonel Joseph C. Audenreid, Sherman’s long time
chief-of-staff. Sherman’s
letters to Mary Audenreid offer advice on personal,
family, and business matters.
The collection description includes an item-level
inventory arranged alphabetically by the surname of the correspondent.
Inventory
BURROWS, A.H.
To R. Saxton dtd Aug. 13, 1880
(telegram).
DRUM, R.C.
To Thos. F. Barr dtd
Aug. 30, 1880 w/expense memo & voucher [copies f+rom
originals in the General Accounting Office, Washington, D. C.].
HUNTER, H.H. & others
To James H. Thompson dtd
Jan. 16, 1865.
McDOWELL, Irvin
dtd Aug.
13, 1880
SHERMAN,
W.T.
Undated - Note.
To Maj. Gen. I. McDowell dtd Dec. 14, 1862.
To Gen. Johnston dtd
Apr. 24, 1865. [Copy - from original in the Library of Congress]
To Gen. Wilson dtd
Apr.26, 1865. [Copy]
To Admiral Theodorus
Bailey dtd Jly. 14, 1868.
To T.D. Jones dtd
Jly. 14, 1868.
To A.N.S. to Report of Gen. E.D. Townsend
(Adjt. Gen.) dtd Apr. 15,
1869. [Copy].
To ADear
Carpenter@ dtd Aug. 12, 1869. [Copy].
To [J.H. Ralston?] dtd
Feb. 18, 1870. [Copy].
To Robert McLean dtd
[1871]. [Copy].
To ADear
Turner@ dtd Nov. 10, 1873 [Copy].
To [Joseph] Audenreid
dtd Aug. 18, 1874.
To ADear
Scott@ dtd Jan. 22, 1875 [Copy].
To [Joseph C.] Audenreid dtd
Sept. 9, 1875.
To James M. Dalzell dtd Feb. 2 , 1876.
To F. Cunningham dtd
Feb. 4, 1876.
To [Joseph C.] Audenreid dtd
May 7, 1876.
To ADear
Strong@ dtd Aug. 23, 1876.
To [Joseph C.] Audenreid dtd
Aug. 29, 1876.
To J[oseph] C. Audenreid dtd Nov. 18, 1876.
To Mrs. [Wickham]
Hoffman dtd Jne. 19, 1877.
To [Joseph] Audenreid
dtd Jly. 2, 1877.
To Mrs. Senator Cameron of Wisconsin dtd Mch. 18, 1878.
To Hornell Woodhull dtd.
Oct.. 20, 1878.
To Maxwell Woodhull dtd
Apr. 3, 1878.
To J.P. Reynolds dtd
Apr. 28, 1878.
To J.P. Reynolds dtd
May 12, 1878.
To J.P. Reynolds dtd
May 24, 1878.
To Mrs. General [Irvin] McDowell dtd Sept. 28, 1878.
To Howell Woodhull dtd
Oct. 20, 1878.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Oct. 25, 1878.
To C. Edwards Lester dtd
Oct. 28, 1878.
To H.W. Benham dtd Apr. 3, 1879. [copy -
from original in the Ingersoll Collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia]..
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Jne. 4, 1879.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Jly.13, 1879.
To Genl. H[oratio] G. Wright dtd Jly 15, 1879.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Aug. 1, 1879.
To General [Horatio G.] Wright dtd Aug..6, 1879.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Oct. 25, 1879.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jan. 8, 1880.
To Gen. G.W. Bulloch dtd
Jan. 27, 1880.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 8, 1880.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Feb. 27, 1880
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd May 12, 1880.
To Gen. I McDowell dtd
Jly. 31, 1880.
To Miss Marion Del. Adams dtd Aug. 15, 1880.
To James E. Taylor dtd
Aug. 15, 1880 [Incomplete?]. [Copy]
To [Irvin] McDowell dtd
Aug. 22, 1880.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd A
ug. 29, 1880.
To Major R.H. Savage dtd
Sept. 17, 1880.
To [Gen. E.O.C.] Ord dtd Dec. 5, 1880.
To John Sherman dtd
Jan. 31, 1881.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 8, 1881.
To Col. C.E. Dawes dtd
Mch. 5, 1881.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Mar. 25, 1881.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Apr. 20, 1881.
To Gen. Francis A. Walker dtd Jne. 3, 1881 [Copy].
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jne. 25, 1881.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 7, 1882.
To AMrs.
Alexander@ dtd Jne. 2, 1882. [Copy].
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jly. 11, 1882.
To ADear
Dalzell@ dtd Aug. 9, 1882.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Aug. 15, 1882.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Sept. 11, 1882.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Mar. 4, 1883.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Apr. 27, 1883.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd May 1, 1883.
To Mrs. Audenreid
dtd Oct. 6, 1883.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Nov. 20, 1883.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Dec. 9, 1883.
To H.M. Hoxie dtd
Jan. 25, 1884. [Copy].
To Mrs. Audenreid
dtd Feb. 5, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 6, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 11, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Mar. 22, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jne. 21, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Aug. 10, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Aug. 24, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Nov. 20, 1884.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid dtd Mar. 3, 1885
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Apr. 21, 1885.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jne. 28, 1885.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jly. 4, 1885.
To Gen. William Warner dtd
Aug. 19, 1885. [Copy].
To Col. R.N. Scott dtd
Sept. 6, 1885.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Sept. 13, 1885.
To Alfred S. Roe dtd
Nov. 22, 1885.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Dec. 4, 1885.
To [John Easton] Tourtelotte
dtd Feb. 27, 1886.
To [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Apr. 11, 1886.
To Gen. O.M. Poe dtd
Nov. 30, 1886.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Jan. 15, 1887.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Mar. 24, 1887.
To Major E.C. Dawes dtd
Mch. 25, 1887.
To E.W. Bok dtd
Mar. 28, 1887. [Copy].
To Mrs. Audenreid
dtd May 3, 1887.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Sept. 5, 1887.
To Gen. [William] Warner dtd Sept. 30, 1887. [Copy].
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Oct. 4, 1887.
To W.P. Cutter dtd
Oct. 31, 1887.
To Gen. James Grant Wilson dtd Nov. 26, 1887. [Copy].
To ADear
Murray@ dtd Feb. 1, 1888. [Copy].
To Gen. William Warner dtd
Apr. 3, 1888. [Copy].
To E.F. Andrews dtd Nov..7, 1888.
To General Woodbury dtd
Aug. 24, 1889.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Nov. 27, 1889.
To B. Fernow dtd Jan. 29, 1890.
To Genl. [M.C.] Meigs dtd Feb. 5, 1890.
To Gen. Ed McCook dtd
Feb. 12, 1890.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Feb. 21, 1890.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd Mar. 13, 1890.
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid
dtd June 14, 1890.
To Lloyd Brice dtd
Jly. 7, 1890 [Copy]
To Lloyd Bryce dtd
Jly. 7, 1890. [Copy]
To Dr. D.W. Hartshorn
dtd Jly. 16, 1890.
To [Andrew] Carnegie dtd
Oct. 29, [1890].
To Richd.
Fleisher dtd Feb. 3, 1891. [Copy].
To Wilson Barrett dtd
Feb. 4, 1891. [Copy].
To Gen. [John M.] Schofield dtd Jne.
28
To Mrs. [Mary] Audenreid dtd Dec. 22 .
To Daniel M. Martin undated, Prtd.
copy of letter [newspaper clipping].
WILSON,
Jas.H.
To Wm T. Sherman dtd
Dec. 3, 1868.