Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order

Chapter 4: Setting Down Roots

CHAPTER 4 SETTING DOWN ROOTS SHERMAN'S TRIP BACK EAST in a steamship by way of Panama took only 30 days, in marked contrast to the 198 days going around the horn on the wind-blown Lexington. There were no terrible storms nor fishing for birds this time, just the regular rhythm of the steam engine on the calm seas. Only Sherman's emotions were unchanged; both going to and returning from California were times of uncertainty for him. In 1846 he had not known what to expect when he arrived in the strange land; now he wondered if his forthcoming marriage to Ellen would provide the tranquility he hoped for. It would not take him long to find out. The early years of matrimony were to set a tone that would resonate for the rest of their marriage: a devotion to one another within the context of an unending battle of wills over army, religion, finances, and family. When Sherman arrived in New York in late January 1850, he immediately hailed a carriage to the Ninth Street office of Winfield Scott, general in chief of the army and hero of the recently completed Mexican War. That evening he had dinner with "Old Fuss and Feathers," an overwhelming experience for a young officer. Scott had secured his fame long ago in the War of 1812, and he had emerged from the recently completed Mexican War as a world-renowned military genius. He was the greatest living exemplar of the gentlemenly warfare that his young table mate would demolish as he marched to the sea fourteen years later. Scott loved good food, shiny uniforms, and fine literature, 77 SHERMAN --------------------------ft-------------------------and he excoriated any army officer who was not the cultivated gentleman he was. His nickname characterized him well.I He grilled Sherman closely and then freely expressed his own opinions of California and the recently completed war with Mexico. Sherman gasped when Scott said he thought the nation "was on the eve of a terrible Civil War." He worried about his own lack of combat experience as he heard about the exploits of fellow officers. His friends had actively participated in the war; he "had not heard a hostile shot." He became convinced again that his military career was over.2 Scott had no such worries; the nervous lieutenant had made a favorable impression on the fastidious old general. Certainly Sherman's ties to Thomas Ewing and Scott's desire for the 1852 Whig presidential nomination helped influence Scott's good opinion. He endorsed Sherman as "an officer of intelligence" who could "give many explanations of interest" and sent him to see the secretary of war.3 Sherman was happy to be going to Washington because he would see Ellen there. The Ewing family had moved into the Blair House upon Thomas Ewing's appointment as the first secretary of the interior. Sherman arrived unannounced to surprise Ellen, who was giving her canary a bath.4 This was the first time they had seen each other in four years. And except for brief occasions, they had not really seen each other since Sherman's departure for West Point fourteen years previously. They had an enormous amount of catching up to do, and now there would be time for quiet walks and long carriage rides, discussing their past, their differences, and their future. At thirty and twenty-six years of age, respectively , they were no longer youngsters. Sherman tried to convince Ellen of his need to stay in the army; Ellen wanted him to become a Catholic civilian and settle in Lancaster, Ohio. This old impasse, never resolved during their separation, continued even as they prepared to marry. After finding that Georgian George W. Crawford, the secretary ofwar, had no interest in California "except as it related to Slavery and the [possible railroad] routes through Texas," Sherman called on President Zachary Taylor. Shortly after, Sherman received a six-month's leave of absence and spent most of the spring in Washington trying to promote his career. He complained to the 78 SETTING DOWN ROOTS --------------------------*-------------------------adjutant general that he had been adjutant for both Mason and Smith, yet his pay had never risen above that of an ordinary artillery lieutenant, and he had not even benefited from Mason's promotion. "I stand alone," he complained, "as the only Chief of Staffwho has not been honored by some mark of favor...