Civil War Travels with Ms. Rebelle - Sherman

 WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN

            Many people over the years have asked me which grave of all that I have found is my favorite.  My answer is always General William Tecumseh Sherman’s grave at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.  The general’s grave monument is a 10 foot obelisk with two large crossed knotted and fringed flags.  Above the flag is a square with General Sherman’s name with three columns of written material.  Below that is an arrow pointing to the right, a triangle below that, and a shield with a star on top of that with 40 rounds inside the star.  An acorn is hanging at the bottom of the shield.  The 40 rounds is a reference to the XV Corps and the acorn references the XIV Corps at Chickamauga.  Three of his dying words “faithful and honorable” are inscribed at the bottom of the monument.

         It seems that our General Sherman designed his own marker.  He wanted a simple shaft with draped stone flags on its face, and between them, the insignia he had drawn in 1868 to symbolize the unity of his armies – at the top of the swift arrow, badge of General Francis Preston Blair’s 17th Corps; hanging from it the shield of General John M. Schofield’s 23rd; on the shield the star of General Henry W. Slocum’s 20th; dangling below, the acorn of General William S. Rosecrans’ 14th Corps but standing out at the very heart of the design, the badge of the 15th Corps – a cartridge box bearing the words that a ragged private had hurled one cold marching day in Tennessee:  “Forty Rounds.”

             William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio on February 8, 1820.  His father gave him the middle name of Tecumseh after the Seminole Indian chief.  Sherman was known as “Cump.”  He was one of eleven children of Charles & Mary Sherman.  Sherman’s father was a Supreme Court justice in Ohio when he died in 1829.  With eleven children and limited finances, the children were farmed out to relatives and friends.  Sherman was sent to live next door with Thomas Ewing, a family friend, who was a senator from Ohio.  At age 16 he was appointed to West Point where he excelled in academics and graduated with the class of 1840.  He graduated sixth in his class.  Eleven future generals also graduated in his class – Union: Stewart Van Vliet, George Thomas, George Getty, and William Hays – Confederates:  Richard Ewell, James Martin, Bushrod Johnson, William Steele, Paul Hebert, John McCown, and William Henry Whiting.

             Unlike most of the West Point graduates, Cump did not fight in the Mexican War.  He was stationed in California.  He married Eleanor Boyle Ewing in 1850 who was the daughter of his foster father Charles Ewing.  Resigning his commission in 1853, he worked as a banker in California and then went to Kansas to practice law.  In 1859 he was headmaster of the Louisiana Military Seminary which is now Louisiana State University.  He resigned when the Civil War began and was made a colonel in the 13th U.S. Infantry.  His first action was at the battle of Bull Run.  His headquarters was on a hill overlooking the Stone Bridge and Bull Run.  It is now the site of the Winery at Bull Run profiled in last month’s Stone Wall by BRCWRT member Chuck Mauro.  Sherman was quick to make Brigadier General and was appointed to that position by President Lincoln on August 7, 1861.  He was then transferred to the Western Theatre fighting at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Jackson, Chattanooga, Meridian Campaign, Atlanta Campaign, Savannah Campaign (his famous March to the Sea), and the Carolinas Campaign. 

            Sherman’s March to the Sea carved a 40-60 mile swath through the state of Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah burning and destroying everything in his path.  He wired President Lincoln on December 21, 1864 giving him an early Christmas present – the city of Savannah.  His next target was Columbia, South Carolina since that state seceded first from the Union.  He captured the city on February 17, 1865 firing up entire sections of the city.  On April 26, 1865 he accepted General Joseph Johnston’s surrender.  His military strategy was known as “total war.”  After Columbia his path went north to Cheraw which I visited quite a few years ago.  The small town was so charming to Sherman that he did not burn it.  The town has over 50 beautiful and well maintained Victorian houses.

             Two of Sherman’s famous quotes were:   “I am tired and sick of war.  Its glory is all moonshine.  It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation.  War is hell.”  When he declined to run for the presidency, he said:  “I will not accept if nominated, and will not serve if elected.”

             He made the rank of full general after the Civil War and was general-in-chief of the army from 1869-1883.  In 1869 he was sent out west to protect the railroad construction from hostile Indians.  In February, 1884 he retired from the army and lived in New York City at 75 West 71st Street.  Looking up that address on Google maps, the building is a large gray one with Harry’s Burritos on the ground floor.  The building is now a condo and overlooks Central Park.

             General Sherman died in New York City on February 14, 1891 at 1:50 p.m. at the age of 71.  His illness came on suddenly on February 4th when he caught a chill after going to the theatre.  His strep throat complicated by his asthma turned into pneumonia.  His family was at his side except for his son Father Thomas Sherman.  Father Sherman arrived five days later and officiated at the funeral.  His friends Generals O.O. Howard and Henry Slocum were in an adjoining room.  Generals Hugh J. Kilpatrick and Thomas Ewing were present as well.  Sherman predicted his death earlier to a friend when talk of planning a celebration for the anniversary of General Ulysses S. Grant’s birth in April.  He stated that “I shall be dead and buried by that time.”  The general did not want a grand funeral as his good friend Grant had.  His wishes were not honored as he had a funeral in New York City as well as one in St. Louis where he lived after the Civil War at 912 North Garrison Avenue.  At that time it was the largest funeral St. Louis had ever had and still may be.

                 The private funeral was held in Sherman’s house on 71st Street.  The general was dressed in full uniform.   His coffin was covered by two fringed United States flags.  General Daniel Butterfield led the procession leading his coffin to the train station.  Honorary pallbearers were:  Generals Henry Slocum, Joseph Johnston, Grenville Dodge, Montgomery Corse, Wager Swayne, Horatio Wright, John Moore, and Steward Woodford.   A riderless horse with the General’s saddle and accoutrements was covered in a long black velvet drape with his boots reversed.   A total of 30,000 soldiers marched in the procession including Cadets from West Point.  General Joseph Johnson refused to wear a hat, became sick himself, and died 10 days later. 

             The funeral train reached the city of St. Louis where the streets had been washed and cleaned and black draping placed on the buildings.  Guns were fired when the train came into the station and continued firing until the final car stopped.  President Roberts of the Pennsylvania Railroad had lent his personal car to the family of General Sherman.  A riderless horse with Sherman’s saddle and accoutrements was led by Sergeant Rothgeber of the 7th Cavalry.  There were seven local pallbearers and six honorary military pallbearers:  Generals Beckwith, Smith, Turner, Warner, Barriger, and Commander Cotton of the U.S. Navy.  General James Forsyth led the procession to the cemetery.  A new caisson with four black horses led by Sergeant John Cahoon was brought from Fort Riley.  Thirteen of the original Wounded Knee troops accompanied the caisson.  Six companies came from Fort Leavenworth.  The 7th Cavalry Bugle Corps was followed by General Wesley Merritt and six carriages of family.  Former president Rutherford B. Hayes, Generals Schofield and George Stannard, were in the third carriage followed by Generals Howard and Slocum, and then Colonel William McCrary, the general’s bodyguard.

             General Sherman is buried in the family plot next to his wife Ellen Ewing Sherman who died earlier in 1888 and his daughter Mary Elizabeth Sherman.  His beloved young son Willie who died in 1863 in Memphis is buried to the right of his mother.  Other family members are buried there as well.

           NOTE:  Ms. Rebelle’s hobby is travelling the country finding and honoring the graves of our 1,008 Civil War generals.  So far she has located and photographed 385….169 Confederate and 216 Union generals.

         Ms. Rebelle is a member of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table which meets every second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Centreville Regional Library. The public is invited to attend at no cost and visit the website www.bullruncwrt.org for additional activities (tours, etc.)