Sherman Was his Christian name really "William" ?

7th Mississippi Infantry

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Location
Southwest Mississippi
Researching John Wayne movies yesterday, I was drawn to the 1959 film "The Horse Soldiers" .

As the movie is a Hollywood version of Grierson's Raid (during the middle part of the Vicksburg Campaign), I spent quite a bit of time reading trivia about the movie.

I came across this entry from IMDB:

"Listen carefully during the first scene and you can hear Gen. Hurlburt say "Hello Cump" as he shakes hands with Gen. Sherman. Sherman was named Tecumseh after the Shawnee chief, but the minister who later baptized him refused to do so with a "heathen" name, so the minister arbitrarily added "William" to Sherman's name, as he was baptized in St. William's Church. Sherman was called Cump by his closest friends--including Gen. Ulysses S. Grant--his entire life, and was never referred to as William or Bill. "

I'd never heard this.
Is it true?

My apologies if this has been discussed before.
 
Yep.
When, in 1816, my brother James was born, he insisted on engrafting the Indian name "Tecumseh" on the usual family list. My mother had already named her first son after her own brother Charles; and insisted on the second son taking the name of her other brother James, and when I came along, on the 8th of February, 1820, mother having no more brothers, my father succeeded in his original purpose, and named me William Tecumseh.

 
Researching John Wayne movies yesterday, I was drawn to the 1959 film "The Horse Soldiers" .

As the movie is a Hollywood version of Grierson's Raid (during the middle part of the Vicksburg Campaign), I spent quite a bit of time reading trivia about the movie.

I came across this entry from IMDB:

"Listen carefully during the first scene and you can hear Gen. Hurlburt say "Hello Cump" as he shakes hands with Gen. Sherman. Sherman was named Tecumseh after the Shawnee chief, but the minister who later baptized him refused to do so with a "heathen" name, so the minister arbitrarily added "William" to Sherman's name, as he was baptized in St. William's Church. Sherman was called Cump by his closest friends--including Gen. Ulysses S. Grant--his entire life, and was never referred to as William or Bill. "

I'd never heard this.
Is it true?

My apologies if this has been discussed before.
Just saw many threads about the General's name.

I now feel like an idiot !
:bounce:

Gawd, I should have noticed @NH Civil War Gal 's recent thread:

 
The US Navy has had four ships named Tecumseh: the Civil War monitor, two tugboats, and one of the "Famous American" Polaris missile submarines. These are the only US military ships I am aware of named for someone killed by the US military.
 
Just saw many threads about the General's name.

I now feel like an idiot !
Don't!!
I bet many didn't know that but didn't dare to ask!

But being baptized "William" by a catholic priest at the age of 9 did nothing for Sherman in the way of religious devotion:

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Source
 
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"When peace had come to the nation with the Indians' drifting farther west, Charles Sherman went back to law and success, but through his mind there still went thoughts of Tecumseh. He decided to name his next son after the red man, but when a baby boy arrived, in December, 1814, he found that his wife had already decided to name it for her brother James. The first-born had been named for her brother Charles j the second-born, a girl, had been named for herself; and the third must keep up the family tradition. Her husband must have taken private satisfaction in the thought that Mary had no more brothers. He would bide his time and wait for another boy. In February, 1816, there came a girl to be named Amelia, and on July 24, 1818, another girl, Julia Ann. Then on February 8, 1820, a boy at last, red of hair, redder of face, a fit one for the name Tecumseh, which meant Shooting Star."
Lewis, Lloyd, SHERMAN - Fighting Prophet, pg. 22
 
I always enjoy that movie !

It was never intended as a deep "discovery channel" documentary.

Pure Hollywood entertainment is all it was meant to be.
I would love to see a factual movie or mini series about the raid. It's a great story. Of course, my kin were being raided and fighting against Grierson's troops so maybe I shouldn't admire their accomplishment so much.
 
I would love to see a factual movie or mini series about the raid. It's a great story. Of course, my kin were being raided and fighting against Grierson's troops so maybe I shouldn't admire their accomplishment so much.
I think you should admire your ancestor's accomplishments !

There are ( or used to be ) a few older documentaries about Grierson's Raid floating around on the internet.
And yes . . . what he accomplished was unthinkable.
His raid was both a tactical and strategic success.

I had ancestors that confronted this raid as well.
My relatives in Wingfield's Louisiana Cavalry did ruin some of his plans, but he still accomplished General Grant's strategic objective.
That being a diversion (for most of the Confederate cavalry to gallop all over Mississippi) while the Union focused on taking Vicksburg.

While Grant's objective of sending the CSA horse soldiers on a "wild goose chase" worked, the CSA Infantry dealt Sherman a blow at Chickasaw Bayou during late 1862.

As a result, Grant's Vicksburg campaign continued into July of 1863.
 
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