‘Uncle Billy’ Sherman: The Unconventional General Who Helped Save the Union

This installment of “When Character Counted” examines how William Tecumseh Sherman’s character and judgment influenced the course of the Civil War.

"The Peacemakers," 1868, by George P.A. Healy. Library of Congress. (L–R) Gens. William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant confer with Abraham Lincoln and Rear Adm. David Porter on Union war strategy during the Civil War. Public Domain

“He was a blend of contrasting qualities. His dynamic energy went along with philosophical reflectiveness … He combined democratic tastes and manners with a deep and sardonic distrust of democracy. His rebelliousness was accompanied by a profound respect for law and order. His logical ruthlessness was coupled with compassion.”

So writes British soldier military and historian B.H. Liddell Hart in “Sherman—Modern Warrior” of William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), the Union general best remembered for his September 1864 conquest of Atlanta, followed by his army’s March to the Sea. That was an election year, and Abraham Lincoln was in a tight race for the White House against George McClellan and the Copperheads, the nickname for Democrats demanding peace be made with the South.