Height of generals

sockknitter · #1 01-20-2005, 10:26 PM

This is a bit of a cry for help. I was participating in a chat about the war and we were surmising the heights of Grant, Lee and Sherman. I am satisfied that Grant was around 5'8" and Lee was 6' even. I could NOT find Sherman's height anywhere. I have seen descriptions of him as "tall and spare", or "tall and lanky" but no specific height.

Does anybody know his height, or better yet a website or book that lists the heights of many major participants in the war?

hoosier · #2 01-20-2005, 11:51 PM

I'm afraid I don't have any info on Sherman's height at my fingertips, so I can't answer your question.

I was surprised to hear that you found Lee to have been a six-footer. I'd been under the impression that he was relatively small in physical stature.

I think my impression was based largely on a drawing of Lee and other leading Confederate generals, in which Lee appeared to be shorter than all the others. Perhaps it was just the way the artist drew the picture.

jules · #3 01-21-2005, 01:56 AM

In "Sherman - A Soldier's Life," author Lee Kennett quotes David F. Boyd's description of Sherman thusly:

"There was his hair, red-brown, yet often remarked on. He was outsized, standing nearly six feet, yet neither ill-proportioned nor encumbered by heavy extremities; on the contrary, these were finely formed." (Page 98)

ole · #4 01-21-2005, 10:28 PM

The record for height had to be Phil Sheridan at a whopping 5' 4.5".

George:
I see what you mean about Lee, if I hadn't read it somewhere, I wouldn't guess that he was a physically powerful specimen, judging from the pictures.

Let's see, wasn't Wade Hampton also a big man? Or am I thinking of that German guy, Borck, or some such.

Grant was not big, even for the times. I would guess physical size had nothing to do with ability.
Ole

larry_cockerham · #5 01-22-2005, 01:31 AM

Most of these fellows were photographed in groups of men on many occasions. Matthew Brady's collection comes to mind. Lee was not exceptionally tall as per his photos, neither was Grant or Sherman. Sherman might get points for ugly, but not tall. Surprisingly Nathan Bedford Forrest was well over six feet.