William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was a General in the U.S. Army during the Civil War (1861–65). He received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies, conducting total war against the Confederate States. Historians declare that Sherman was "the first modern general." Sherman served under General Grant in 1862 and 1863 that led to the fall of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg and routing their armies in Tennessee. In 1864, Sherman succeeded Grant as the Union Commander in the western theater of the war. He captured the city of Atlanta and his subsequent march through Georgia and the Carolinas further undermined the Confederacy. When Grant became President in 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of the Army (1869–83). He was responsible for the U.S. Army in the Indian Wars over the next 15 years. He steadfastly refused to be drawn into politics and in 1875 published his Memoirs, one of the best-known firsthand accounts of the Civil War.