![]() ![]() When Grant went east at the beginning of 1864, he gave Sherman command in the west. He was then shifted back to Mississippi and took Meridian. (Congress gave him their Thanks for his work at Chattanooga.) Ambrose Burnside had got himself tied up in Knoxville, and Sherman solved the problem. His tactics weren't strong at Chattanooga, but Grant continued to support his protégé and marked him for another independent mission. Once Vicksburg fell, he sent Sherman on the expedition to Jackson, Mississippi, which he took without much difficulty against Joe Johnston's smaller force. His performance around Vicksburg was not stellar, but Grant approved what he did. Grant was impressed and Sherman was soon promoted to major general. He was unprepared for the Confederate attack at Shiloh, but recovered later in the day and held solidly. Sherman was still shaky in central Missouri, imagining Rebels under the beds.ĭespite this, he was sent into action, which settled him down somewhat. He was dropped, although Henry Halleck saw some promise in Sherman and transferred him. There couldn't have been as many as he thought, and even newspapers were right in their criticism. Sherman didn't last long there, a victim of nerves: he reported wild, enormous numbers of Confederates. He was soon transferred to Kentucky, working under Robert Anderson, a native son of Kentucky and the hero of Fort Sumter. ![]() His leadership was better than average although he thought his troops were bad. He fought at First Manassas, acting as a brigadier general with four regiments of volunteers. He couldn't ignore what was going on around him, and rejoined the army in early 1861, leaping straight in as Colonel of the 13th U.S. When Louisiana seceded he moved north, not to join the army but to run a streetcar company in St Louis. Nothing fit, and in 1859 he took a position as superintendent of Louisiana Military Academy (now Louisiana State University). It wasn't much he bumped around in various jobs, tried the law, tried banking. He was still a captain seven years later, and resigned to see what he could manage in civil life. During the Mexican War he served in California and did well enough to earn a brevet to captain. He was sixth in his class at West Point (1840) which earned him a place in the artillery. Sherman is the second best-known Union general, and arguably the most reviled, behind Grant and ahead of Ben Butler in each category. His March to Atlanta brought the war to the civilian population. Served under Grant in the West and later made commander of Union forces in the West.
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