Throughout the civil war the Union was plagued by incompetent generals that would not us the men they had, not use their men in a way that could achieve victory in the field of battle. This begs the question what makes a good officer? A good officer should be respected by his men and he should respect his own superiors. They should also use their tactics to lead their soldiers to victory. So, in this time of the Union going through generals was William Tecumseh Sherman the last choice available or was he deserve the job? Major General William Tecumseh Sherman was a good officer because he was competent in the face of battle, respected his leaders and was respected by his men. The soldiers of General Sherman respected their commander and Sherman respected his own superiors. “Sherman felt General Grant’s most valuable trait was, “simple faith in success… which I can liken to nothing else than the faith a Christian has in a savior” (Furgurson 15). Sherman compares General Grant to a savior which is mighty high …show more content…
When he was ordered to march to the sea his soldiers underwent a rigorous inspection and as a result the army that he took with him on that march suffered forty-six percent less illness per one thousand men (Glatthaar 19 and 20). Sherman knew that he would be on his own in enemy territory, so he wanted to only has experienced soldiers that would not get sick. It worked so well that some doubted that the entire southern army could not stop Sherman’s march to the sea (Glatthaar 78). That shows that Sherman was on a role and was starting to complete his objective. He wanted to show the southern people that their armies were no longer capable of protecting them, so they needed to rejoin the union (Glatthaar 100). With people doubting if all the Confederate armies together could stop Sherman, he was accomplishing his goal of demoralizing the southern
First of all the geography forced the Confederates to switch from offense to defense. The Battle of Gettysburg was the first and last battle fought in the North. All the other battles were fought in the South so the Confederate’s people and towns were constantly in danger. Document A illustrates that the General Lee were tired of being on the defense and wanted to be on the offense for a change. Document A states that even though the Confederates tried their hardest they were pushed back onto the defensive and ultimately lost the war (273).
On february 11th, Sherman and his men destroyed the railroad depot, and Sent his men in 4 different directions to destroy just about everything in their path, thus starting his “total war” plan. During the September of 1864, a Confederate general by the name of John Bell Hood had to retreat his men as they were being pushed back by Sherman 's men, forcing them to destroy and burn any and all supplies, including food, ammo, and other such things. Sherman had his men leave it to burn, and proceeded to rip through all of Atlanta Georgia, leaving a 60 mile wide path of burning destruction, effectively burning Atlanta to the ground. The reason he did this was because he reasoned the only way to win the war was to break the souths will to fight, and so he did just that.
The American Civil War was a bloody war that resulted from poor decisions and false beliefs in old tactics and strategies. One of the bloodiest battles fought was that of Antietam, Maryland, where General George B. McClellan commanded the Union forces against those of General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces. There were “36 casualties a minute, totaling 22, 717” by the end of the battle. Though McClellan easily outnumbered Lee two to one, his ego and personal delusions prevented him from making the necessary decisions that could have led to a shorter and more decisive victory for the Union. This battle alone has led to a large debate among historians on whether or not McClellan was a good commander.
William T Sherman was an American soldier, educator and businessman. Sherman served during the American Civil War as a General in the Union Army. He received criticism for his hostility towards the "scorched earth" policies that he carried out while conducting total war against the Confederate States along with gaining recognition for his excellent command of military strategy. He led around 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia for the purpose of frightening Georgia’s citizens so that they would abandon their confederate cause. Sherman’s soldiers stole food, livestock, burned the houses, and barns of people who tried to fight back but did not destroy any of the towns in their path.
Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson Lahti, Chad 4A Mountain View High School Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson After gaining leadership skills and experience serving in the Mexican-American War, Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson became a Confederate General. Known for his brilliant military strategies, he was able to gain many successful victories against the Union. Before the war, Jackson taught philosophy and artillery tactics at Virginia Military Institute (Of Generals and Soldiers).
Gen. Bedford Forrest, on the other hand, took a different approach. Mr. Forrest is famed for his quote “‘I finished the war one horse ahead’”. Forrest had no care as to what happened to the enemy, which is likewise to Sherman, yet he cared not for his own soldiers either. His only priority is that he walked off the battlefield with more numbers alive than the other. It is not the most humane, but certainly
The leadership the Confederates displayed was lackluster, no one seemed to be able to gain control once things started to unravel. Conversely, the Union had leadership that was capable of maintaining control, with the knowledge and know how to conduct and complete the mission. Colonel Hunt had full control of the artillery, with the autonomy to decide how many guns he wanted on the hill and were they went. His knowledge and strong leadership showed immediately once the Confederates started their attack. During the attack, Hunt showed no hesitation.
Thomas Stonewall Jackson's Accomplishments Thomas Stonewall Jackson, born January 21st, 1824 in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and died May 10th, 1863 in Guinea station, Virginia. He was a very well known Confederate general during the Civil War. Thomas Stonewall Jackson was a very accomplished general, because he won the first Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Chancellorsville, and he graduated from West point academy 17th out his class of 59 students. These victories helped Stonewall earn his name as one of the greatest generals in American history. Though Stonewall died very young due to sickness and injury, he still achieved a lifetime of success.
Sherman claims that he will help anyone who needs help once the war is over. I believe that Sherman that is doing nothing wrong. It is war, Sherman cannot be stagnate and hope for peace while the enemy is fighting back. Taking Atlanta is bringing the Union one step closer to end the war by weakening the South. Sherman is warning the people to leave and seek refuge and they can stop all of this if they just surrender.
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign. In thirty seven weeks, Sherman marched 62,000 men more than three hundred miles across Georgia. In his path lay ruin. Bridges, cotton, livestock, factories, telegraph lines and hundreds of miles of railroads were destroyed. The campaign begins on November 15, when Sherman's troops leave Atlanta after they razed it to the ground.
Caudill, Edward and Paul Ashdown. Sherman’s March in Myth and Memory. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008 Sherman’s March in Myth and Memory by Edward Caudill and Paul Ashdown is a monograph written in 2008, about William Tecumseh Sherman and his famous march to the sea that occurred during the Civil War. The events that have shaped the authors’ perspective are all the books, and films being created based off of the myth surrounding Sherman.
In the fall of 1863 General William T. Sherman started planning for the next portion of his battles across the southern states and ending in the Carolinas to try and finally end the Civil War. The campaigns and battles proceeding the spring of 1864 had been conventional warfare, hand to hand and geared more directly at the troops, ships, battery emplacements, and key military facilities. Sherman left Vicksburg February 3, 1864 giving explicit orders to destroy the railroad tracks across Mississippi, as well any facility or establishment that could be utilized in helping or supporting the Confederate war efforts. Sherman continued this reign of destruction the Carolina’s.
There have been many prominent leaders that have molded America into what it is today, Lee is one of them. Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia, January 19, 1807, although one historian believes has was born one year earlier (Wikipedia.com 1). Little is actually known about his childhood, and Lee scarcely mentioned it as an adult. His father, Henry “Light Horse” Lee, left him and his family at a young age and never returned. In 1825, Robert E. Lee attended West Point and graduated second in his class in 1829.
General Lee chose to surrender to General Grant. Even though he surrendered, he was still a great general and leader. After all, both General Grant and General Lee were very good examples of what it meant to be superior leaders. They both fought hard, and led very appropriately. Both men symbolized characteristics of what it meant to be a good human leader.
This shows that the South couldn't be motivated because they had already given up, even if they hadn't lost yet. The South was fighting a losing battle, and nothing anyone did could help. Likewise, another reason he didn't