Memoirs of General William T. Sherman

Memoirs of General William T.
Sherman

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Sherman
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Title: The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Complete
Author: William T. Sherman

Release Date: August, 2003 [Etext #4361] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted: January 16, 2001]
[File most recently updated: July 26, 2002]
Edition: 11
Language: English
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MEMOIRS OF GEN. SHERMAN ***

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MEMOIRS OF GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN
By William T. Sherman

GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN
HIS COMRADES IN ARMS,
VOLUNTEERS AND REGULARS.
Nearly ten years have passed since the close of the civil war in America,
and yet no satisfactory history thereof is accessible to the public; nor
should any be attempted until the Government has published, and
placed within the reach of students, the abundant materials that are
buried in the War Department at Washington. These are in process of
compilation; but, at the rate of progress for the past ten years, it is
probable that a new century will come before they are published and
circulated, with full indexes to enable the historian to make a judicious
selection of materials.
What is now offered is not designed as a history of the war, or even as a
complete account of all the incidents in which the writer bore a part,
but merely his recollection of events, corrected by a reference to his
own memoranda, which may assist the future historian when he comes
to describe the whole, and account for the motives and reasons which

influenced some of the actors in the grand drama of war.
I trust a perusal of these pages will prove interesting to the survivors,
who have manifested so often their intense love of the "cause" which
moved a nation to vindicate its own authority; and, equally so, to the
rising generation, who therefrom may learn that a country and
government such as ours are worth fighting for, and dying for, if need
be.
If successful in this, I shall feel amply repaid for departing from the
usage of military men, who seldom attempt to publish their own deeds,
but rest content with simply contributing by their acts to the honor and
glory of their country.
WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, General
St. Louis, Missouri, January 21, 1875.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
Another ten years have passed since I ventured to publish my Memoirs,
and, being once more at leisure, I have revised them in the light of the
many criticisms public and private.
My habit has been to note in pencil the suggestions of critics, and to
examine the substance of their differences; for critics must differ from
the author, to manifest their superiority.
Where I have found material error I have corrected; and I have added
two chapters, one at the beginning, another at the end, both of the most
general character, and an appendix.
I wish my friends and enemies to understand that I disclaim the
character of historian, but assume to be a witness on the stand before
the great tribunal of history, to assist some future Napier, Alison, or
Hume to comprehend the feelings and thoughts of the actors in the
grand conflicts of the recent past, and thereby to lessen his labors in the
compilation necessary for the future benefit of mankind.
In this free country every man is at perfect liberty to publish his own
thoughts and impressions, and any witness who may differ from me
should publish his own version of facts in the truthful narration of
which he is interested. I am publishing my own memoirs, not theirs,
and we all know that no three honest witnesses of a simple brawl can
agree on