NF What is the best book on William Tecumseh Sherman? Let us know what you think

Non-Fiction

Pat Young

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Featured Book Reviewer
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Location
Long Island, NY
What is the best book on William Tecumseh Sherman?

This is a new feature. Please give your nomination for the best book on Sherman. Each member of CivilWarTalk can nominate one book. I will compile the nominations and then a week later you can vote on the one you think is the best. This will finally and definitively be the best book on Sherman forever.

The book can be a comprehensive biography, or a study in which Sherman is the central figure. It can cover his whole life or just a few days. It is up to you, so don't post questions about what the word "best" means.
 
I shall have to look for this one, as it seems to come highly recommended. I think the title is interesting. My brother-in-law was what we now would call hyper-active. The way he dealt with that was to bring order to his life, by having everything in its place. He even organized his freezer so that the frozen peas were on the left side of the second shelf and woe betide anyone who changed that, because it made him so anxious. It was his way of dealing with life and it struck me that order was what kept Sherman sane as well. The mind is an amazing and sometimes scary thing.
 
Not well written, Pat and it seemed to me as if the author could not decide where he stood regarding Sherman. I am waiting to see what others think is a better book, because I came away from this one thinking, "Huh????"

One reason he may not have been able to decide where he stood regarding Sherman, may be in the title...................Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman.

I have not read it yet. I have it on Kindle.

Respectfully,

William,

One Nation
Two countries
Confed-American Flag - Thumbnail.jpg
 
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What about William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life by James Lee McDonough? McDonough devotes as much attention to Sherman's life before and after the Civil War as the four years during it. Since I enjoy a good character study, I enjoyed learning about Sherman's complicated relationship with his wife, Ellen, and how he dealt with his grief after the death of his young son, Willy.
 
At the moment, my bedtime reader is:
Memoirs Of General William T. Sherman Paperback – by William T. Sherman

I prefer to read first-hand accounts where possible.

So far he is in California during the war with Mexico.
 
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