William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life by James Lee McDonough (review)

General William Tecumseh Sherman is a favorite subject among Civil War biographers. Countless ambitious authors have attempted to compress his long, colorful civilian and military life into words. Many studies, such as Michael Fellman's Citizen Sherman: A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman (New York, 1995), have succeeded in shedding new light on the man known to his men as "Uncle Billy," while many others have failed. James Lee McDonough's new appraisal, William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life, can definitely be considered a success.

McDonough uses adroit prose, which any novelist would envy, to bring "Cump," as Sherman was called in his youth, to life for the reader. The book's primary goal is to examine Sherman's role as a Civil War general by analyzing his decision making in "battles, campaigns, and marches" (p. xi). McDonough, however, does not neglect Sherman's life beyond the war. Rather, he provides the reader with an in-depth treatment of Sherman's childhood and his time as general-in-chief of the army after the war. The author's scope and pacing are masterful throughout the work, and one is able to follow Sherman's transformation from young boy to fierce warrior.

Nothing in Sherman's early life foreshadowed the important role that he would play in the Civil War. He came from rather ordinary beginnings in Lancaster, Ohio. Born to a judge and a leading lady in local social circles, Sherman was one of eleven children. At the age of nine, tragedy struck when his father, Charles, died. Like many men of the time, Charles left the family with tremendous debts. Mary Sherman, Cump's widowed mother, was unable to take care of all of her children and was forced to split up the family. Young Sherman was placed with Thomas Ewing, a wealthy attorney, senator, and friend of Sherman's father. McDonough portrays this as a pivotal moment in Sherman's life and argues that Sherman fared "better than any of his siblings" (p. 27). Ewing had tremendous influence and was able to "open some doors of opportunity for young Tecumseh, which Charles Sherman … could never have done" (p. 27).

Through Ewing, Sherman eventually enrolled at West Point and found himself well suited for military life. After four unremarkable years at "the Point," Sherman spent time in Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia before the start of the U.S.-Mexican War (p. 37). After serving in California during the war, Sherman resigned his commission in 1853 and worked for a few years in banking and other professions. Civilian life was not good to Sherman, and he found himself riddled with debt and dismay. McDonough presents Sherman during this period as a man who was missing something. One can almost feel Sherman longing for something more—a return to military life.

The bulk of McDonough's tome is dedicated to Sherman's service during the Civil War. While most of the material and stories are familiar to the well-versed reader, the author provides several new interpretations and insights. For example, Sherman is portrayed as playing a much larger role in the battle of Shiloh. Through his own mistakes, Sherman was surprised by the enemy and found himself in a difficult situation. McDonough masterfully describes how Sherman was able to rally his troops, command with confidence, and help the Union effort. From Bull Run to the March to the Sea, the author does an apt job of providing insight into Sherman's thinking.

William Tecumseh Sherman is a meticulously researched and well-written treatment of one of the most important and controversial figures in the American Civil War. McDonough succeeds because he relies heavily on and faithfully uses Sherman's own words. Anyone looking for...