memoirs of general william t. sherman-1- 第1部分

Memoirs　of　General　William　T。　Sherman

by　William　Tecumseh　Sherman



Volume　1




GENERAL　W。　T。　SHERMAN

HIS　COMRADES　IN　ARMS；

VOLUNTEERS　AND　REGULARS。

Nearly　ten　years　have　passed　since　the　close　of　the　civil　war　in　America；　and　yet　no　satisfactory　history　thereof　is　accessible　to　the　public；　nor　should　any　be　attempted　until　the　Government　has　published；　and　placed　within　the　reach　of　students；　the　abundant　materials　that　are　buried　in　the　War　Department　at　Washington。　These　are　in　process　of　compilation；　but；　at　the　rate　of　progress　for　the　past　ten　years；　it　is　probable　that　a　new　century　will　come　before　they　are　published　and　circulated；　with　full　indexes　to　enable　the　historian　to　make　a　judicious　selection　of　materials。

What　is　now　offered　is　not　designed　as　a　history　of　the　war；　or　even　as　a　complete　account　of　all　the　incidents　in　which　the　writer　bore　a　part；　but　merely　his　recollection　of　events；　corrected　by　a　reference　to　his　own　memoranda；　which　may　assist　the　future　historian　when　he　comes　to　describe　the　whole；　and　account　for　the　motives　and　reasons　which　influenced　some　of　the　actors　in　the　grand　drama　of　war。

I　trust　a　perusal　of　these　pages　will　prove　interesting　to　the　survivors；　who　have　manifested　so　often　their　intense　love　of　the　〃cause〃　which　moved　a　nation　to　vindicate　its　own　authority；　and；　equally　so；　to　the　rising　generation；　who　therefrom　may　learn　that　a　country　and　government　such　as　ours　are　worth　fighting　for；　and　dying　for；　if　need　be。

If　successful　in　this；　I　shall　feel　amply　repaid　for　departing　from　the　usage　of　military　men；　who　seldom　attempt　to　publish　their　own　deeds；　but　rest　content　with　simply　contributing　by　their　acts　to　the　honor　and　glory　of　their　country。

WILLIAM　T。　SHERMAN；　General

St。　Louis；　Missouri；　January　21；　1875。





PREFACE　TO　THE　SECOND　EDITION。

Another　ten　years　have　passed　since　I　ventured　to　publish　my　Memoirs；　and；　being　once　more　at　leisure；　I　have　revised　them　in　the　light　of　the　many　criticisms　public　and　private。

My　habit　has　been　to　note　in　pencil　the　suggestions　of　critics；　and　to　examine　the　substance　of　their　differences；　for　critics　must　differ　from　the　author；　to　manifest　their　superiority。

Where　I　have　found　material　error　I　have　corrected；　and　I　have　added　two　chapters；　one　at　the　beginning；　another　at　the　end；　both　of　the　most　general　character；　and　an　appendix。

I　wish　my　friends　and　enemies　to　understand　that　I　disclaim　the　character　of　historian；　but　assume　to　be　a　witness　on　the　stand　before　the　great　tribunal　of　history；　to　assist　some　future　Napier；　Alison；　or　Hume　to　comprehend　the　feelings　and　thoughts　of　the　actors　in　the　grand　conflicts　of　the　recent　past；　and　thereby　to　lessen　his　labors　in　the　compilation　necessary　for　the　future　benefit　of　mankind。

In　this　free　country　every　man　is　at　perfect　liberty　to　publish　his　own　thoughts　and　impressions；　and　any　witness　who　may　differ　from　me　should　publish　his　own　version　of　facts　in　the　truthful　narration　of　which　he　is　interested。　　I　am　publishing　my　own　memoirs；　not　theirs；　and　we　all　know　that　no　three　honest　witnesses　of　a　simple　brawl　can　agree　on　all　the　details。　　How　much　more　likely　will　be　the　difference　in　a　great　battle　covering　a　vast　space　of　broken　ground；　when　each　division；　brigade；　regiment；　and　even　company；　naturally　and　honestly　believes　that　it　was　the　focus　of　the　whole　affair！　Each　of　them　won　the　battle。　　None　ever　lost。　That　was　the　fate　of　the　old　man　who　unhappily　commanded。

In　this　edition　I　give　the　best　maps　which　I　believe　have　ever　been　prepared；　compiled　by　General　O。　M。　Poe；　from　personal　knowledge　and　official　surveys；　and　what　I　chiefly　aim　to　establish　is　the　true　cause　of　the　results　which　are　already　known　to　the　whole　world；　and　it　may　be　a　relief　to　many　to　know　that　I　shall　publish　no　other；　but；　like　the　player　at　cards；　will　〃stand；〃　not　that　I　have　accomplished　perfection；　but　because　I　can　do　no　better　with　the　cards　in　hand。　　Of　omissions　there　are　plenty；　but　of　wilful　perversion　of　facts；　none。

In　the　preface　to　the　first　edition；　in　1875；　I　used　these　words：　〃Nearly　ten　years　have　passed　since　the　close　of　the　civil　war　in　America；　and　yet　no　satisfactory　history　thereof　is　accessible　to　the　public；　nor　should　any　be　attempted　until　the　Government　has　published；　and　placed　within　the　reach　of　students；　the　abundant　materials　that　are　buried　in　the　War　Department　at　Washington。　These　are　in　process　of　compilation；　but；　at　the　rate　of　progress　for　the　past　ten　years；　it　is　probable　that　a　new　century　will　come　before　they　are　published　and　circulated；　with　full　indexes　to　enable　the　historian　to　make　a　judicious　selection　of　materials〃

Another　decade　is　past；　and　I　am　in　possession　of　all　these　publications；　my　last　being　Volume　XI；　Part　3；　Series　1；　the　last　date　in　which　is　August　30；　1862。　　I　am　afraid　that　if　I　assume　again　the　character　of　prophet；　I　must　extend　the　time　deep　into　the　next　century；　and　pray　meanwhile　that　the　official　records　of　the　war；　Union　and　Confederate；〃　may　approach　completion　before　the　〃next　war；〃　or　rather　that　we；　as　a　people；　may　be　spared　another　war　until　the　last　one　is　officially　recorded。　　Meantime　the　rising　generation　must　be　content　with　memoirs　and　histories　compiled　from　the　best　sources　available。

In　this　sense　I　offer　mine　as　to　the　events　of　which　I　was　an　eye…witness　and　participant；　or　for　which　I　was　responsible。

WILLIAM　T。　SHERMAN；　General　（retired）。

St。　Louis；　Missouri；　March　30；　1885。






MEMOIRS　OF　GENERAL　WILLIAM　T。　SHERMAN。



CHAPTER　I。

FROM　1820　TO　THE　MEXICAN　WAR。

1820…1846。

According　to　Cothren；　in　his　〃History　of　Ancient　Woodbury；　Connecticut；〃　the　Sherman　family　came　from　Dedham；　Essex　County；　England。　　The　first　recorded　name　is　of　Edmond　Sherman；　with　his　three　sons；　Edmond；　Samuel；　and　John；　who　were　at　Boston　before　1636；　and　farther　it　is　distinctly　recorded　that　Hon。　Samuel　Sherman；　Rev。　John；　his　brother；　and　Captain　John；　his　first　cousin；　arrived　from　Dedham；　Essex　County；　England；　in　1634。　Samuel　afterward　married　Sarah　Mitchell；　who　had　come　（in　the　same　ship）　from　England；　and　finally　settled　at　Stratford；　Connecticut。　The　other　two　（Johns）　located　at　Watertown；　Massachusetts。

》From　Captain　John　Sherman　are　descended　Roger　Sherman；　the　signer　of　the　Declaration　of　Independence；　Hon。　William　M。　Evarts；　the　Messrs。　Hoar；　of　Massachusetts；　and　many　others　of　national　fame。　Our　own　family　are　descended　from　the　Hon。　Samuel　Sherman　and　his　son；　the　Rev。　John；　who　was　born　in　1650…'51；　then　another　John；　born　in　1687；　then　Judge　Daniel；　born　in　1721；　then　Taylor　Sherman；　our　grandfather；　who　was　born　in　1758。　　Taylor　Sherman　was　a　lawyer　and　judge　in　Norwalk；　Connecticut；　where　he　resided　until　his　death；　May　4；　1815；　leaving　a　widow；　Betsey　Stoddard　Sherman；　and　three　children；　Charles　R。　（our　father）；　Daniel；　and　Betsey。

When　the　State　of　Connecticut；　in　1786；　ceded　to　the　United　States　her　claim　to　the　western　part　of　her　public　domain；　as　defined　by　her　Royal　Charter；　she　reserved　a　large　district　in　what　is　now　northern　Ohio；　a　portion　of　which　（five　hundred　thousand　acres）　composed　the　〃Fire…Land　District；〃　which　was　set　apart　to　indemnify　the　parties　who　had　lost　property　in　Connecticut　by　the　raids　of　Generals　Arnold；　Tryon；　and　others　during　the　latter　part　of　the　Revolutionary　War。

Our　grandfather；　Judge　Taylor　Sherman；　was　one　of　the　commissioners　appointed　by　the　State　of　Connecticut　to　quiet　the　Indian　title；　and　to　survey　and　subdivide　this　Fire…Land　District；　which　includes　the　present　counties　of　Huron　and　Erie。　　In　his　capacity　as　commissioner　he　made　several　trips　to　Ohio　in　the　early　part　of　this　century；　and　it　is　supposed　that　he　then　contracted　the　disease　which　proved　fatal。　　For　his　labor　and　losses　he　received　a　title　to　two　sections　of　land；　which　fact　was　probably　the　prime　cause　of　the　migration　of　our　family　to　the　West。　　My　father　received　a　good　education；　and　was　admitted　to　the　bar　at　Norwalk；　Connecticut；　where；　in　1810；　he；　at　twenty　years　of　age；　married　Mary　Hoyt；　also　of　Norwalk；　and　at　once　migrated　to　Ohio；　leaving　his　wife　（my　mother）　for　a　time。　　His　first　purpose　was　to　settle　at　Zanesville；　Ohio；　but　he　finally　chose　Lancaster；　Fairfield　County；　where　he　at　once　engaged　in　the；　practice　of　his　profession。　　In　1811　he　returned　to　Norwalk；　where；　meantime；　was　born　Charles　Taylor　Sherman；　the　eldest　of　the　family；　who　with　his　mother　was　carried　to　Ohio　on　horseback。

Judge　Taylor　Sherman's　family　remained　in　Norwalk　till　1815；　when　his　death　led　to　the　emigration　of　the　remainder　of　the　family；　viz。；　of　Uncle　Daniel　Sherman；　who　settled　at　Monroeville；　Ohio；　as　a　farmer；　where　he　lived　and　died　quite　recently；　leaving　children　and　grandchildren；　　and　an　aunt；　Betsey；　who　married　Judge　Parker；　of　Mansfield；　and　died　in　1851；　leaving　children　and　grandchildren；　also　Grandmother　Elizabeth　Stoddard　Sherman；　who　resided　with　her　daughter；　Mrs：　Betsey　Parker；　in　Mansfield　until　her　death；　August　1；1848。

Thus　my　father；　Charles　R。　Sherman；　became　finally　established　at　Lancaster；　Ohio；　as　a　lawyer；　with　his　own　family　in　the　year　1811；　and　conti