The White Tecumseh: A Biography of General William T. Sherman

As Prof. Hirshson's student, I can say that this book reflects the author quite well. It is an accurate account of General Sherman's life. The book is well written and while reading it, I was able to imagine Prof. Hirshson giving a lecture to me as opposed to just reading through it. The language is very user friendly.

This is a biography of William Tecumseh Sherman by Stanley P. Hirshson, Professor at Queens College, City University of New York. On the surface, it seems to be an un-biased story of the life of a very complicated man.Like so many Civil War generals on the Union side, Sherman was almost a failure in civilian life. He tried his hand at many professions, but never really made enough money to support his growing family. In the army, however, he had moments of brilliance. And brutality, evidenced most clearly in his march to the sea. He could send his men into a town with orders to destroy it, then wander through the same town afterward looking for friends who lived there when he knew them. He admitted that many of the soldiers he commanded during that time were not much more than thieves and ruffians.The book starts slowly and ends the same. Most of Sherman's story is the Civil War, four years of privation, desperation, and triumph. Maligned by his enemies, again as were most successful generals, his fights after the war were political, although he never sought political office. Rather his ambitions were for himself as the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Army, and for the Army itself.Although this is a scholarly work, it is an easy read, especially for a Civil War buff. There are moments when the reader will feel she is attaining some insight into his personality. But those moments slip away quite often. Because of this, the reader might wonder if something is being held back. For instance, I would like to have seen more details of the post-Civil War Army policies toward the Native Americans, something Sherman had much to do with.This is a must read for the Civil War scholar, American military history fan, and those interested in 19th century America. Sherman lived in much of the U.S. and details of these places in his time add to our understanding of life when our great-grandparents were young.

Stanley P. Hirshson puts the life and legacy of General Sherman into a very good perspective. You feel like you are in Sherman's infantry

Stanley P. Hirshon has obviously done his homework on this biography of General Sherman. From his childhood to early military career, the civil war, on to his distaste for the political life. It's obvious he could have easily ran for President and probably would have won but instead remained a general in the army dispite political infighting in Washington where he was often a pawn to greater forces. A very enjoyable book that should be read by anybody who has an interest in that part of American history.

Stanley P. Hirshon has obviously done his homework on this biography of General Sherman. From his childhood to early military career, the civil war, on to his distaste for the political life. It's obvious he could have easily ran for President and probably would have won but instead remained a general in the army dispite political infighting in Washington where he was often a pawn to greater forces. A very enjoyable book that should be read by anybody who has an interest in that part of American history. I can only imagine this biography being topped by Stephen Ambrose but then I'm partial to his style of writing.