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William Tecumseh Sherman
Civil War Encyclopedia >> People - Union Military
| January 2, 1860 | The Louisiana State Seminary of Higher Learning is established at Pineville. William Tecumseh Sherman is Superintendent. It later becomes LSU. | Louisiana |
| March 2, 1860 | Classes begin at the Seminary of Higher Learning at Pineville | |
| July 21, 1861 | (First) Manassas (Confederate)
(First) Bull Run (Union) About 25 miles southwest of Washington the first major battle of the Civil War pits Irvin McDowell [US] against P. G. T. Beauregard [CS] and Joe Johnston [CS]. |
Virginia |
| First Manassas - First Bull Run | ||
| P. G. T. Beauregard | ||
| Irvin McDowell | ||
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| Army of Northern Virginia | ||
| James Longstreet | ||
| John B. Gordon | ||
| Stonewall Jackson | ||
| Richard Ewell | ||
| Samuel Garland | ||
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Samuel Heintzelman | ||
| July 31, 1861 | 11 Union officers are submitted to Congress to be promoted to brigadier general | |
| William B. Franklin | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Samuel Heintzelman | ||
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| October 8, 1861 | General William Tecumseh Sherman replaces General Robert Anderson as commander of the Department of the Cumberland. Anderson had suffered a severe mental breakdown. | |
| November 15, 1861 | William Tecumseh Sherman is replaced by Don Carlos Buell at the head of the reorganized Department of Ohio. Sherman had assumed command as senior officer when Anderson was relieved of duty. | |
| Don Carlos Buell | ||
| Army of the Ohio | ||
| March 15, 1862 | William Tecumseh Sherman and Stephen Hurlbut arrive at Pittsburg Landing and move inland to Shiloh Baptist Church. | |
| Battle of Shiloh | ||
| April 6, 1862 April 7, 1862 |
Battle of Pittsburg Landing [Union]
Battle of Shiloh [Confederate] Ulysses S. Grant [US] defeats Albert Sidney Johnston [CS] in southwest Tennessee. P. G. T. Beauregard assumed command following Johnston's death Confederate Losses 1,723 dead 8,012 wounded 959 missing Union Losses 1,754 dead 8,408 wounded 2,885 missing |
Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Sherman's Memoirs on Shiloh | ||
| P. G. T. Beauregard | ||
| Battle of Shiloh | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| Bloodiest Civil War battles | ||
| Don Carlos Buell | ||
| Albert Sidney Johnston | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| William 'Bull' Nelson | ||
| Lew Wallace | ||
| Lew Wallace at Shiloh | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| Army of Mississippi | ||
| December 18, 1862 | In preparation for his assault on the Confederate fortress at Vicksburg, Ulysess S. Grant reorganizes his forces into 4 Corps (13th, 15th, 16th, 17th) under John A. McLernand, William T. Sherman, Stephen A. Hurlbut and James B. McPherson respectively | |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| December 20, 1862 | U. S. 15th Corps under William Tecumseh Sherman boards transports at Memphis to sail down the Mississippi to Chickasaw Bayou. Ulysses S. Grant called off a supporting campaign over land because of continued Rebel raids | Tennessee |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| December 26, 1862 | Sherman's expedition lands near Steele's Bayou on the Yazoo River | Mississippi |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| December 29, 1862 | Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
William Tecumseh Sherman [US] tries to assault a strong Confederate position atop a series of bluffs north of Vicksburg held by John Pemberton [CS] |
Mississippi |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| January 2, 1863 | General Sherman abandons his attempt to take Vicksburg | Mississippi |
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| January 4, 1863 | Major General McClernand begins to move up the Arkansas River towards Arkansas Post. He orders General Sherman to accompany him, but he has not received authorization for such a movement. | |
| John A. McClernand | ||
| January 10, 1863 January 11, 1863 |
Battle of Arkansas Post
Battle of Fort Hindman General John McClernand [US] defeats Brigadier General T. J. Churchill [CS] at Fort Hindman or Arkansas Post. Defending the outpost on the Arkansas River, 5,000 Confederates are surrounded by a force of 50,000 Union troops, and a U. S. Naval squadron under the command of Admiral David Porter. The Navy silenced the Confederate artillery and McClernand attacked, gaining the outer walls. The Confederates then surrendered. |
Arkansas |
| John A. McClernand | ||
| First Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| March 16, 1863 | Ulysses S. Grant ends his Yazoo Pass expedition, but orders William Tecumseh Sherman to try Steele's Bayou again. | |
| Second Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| March 24, 1863 | A small skirmish at Black Bayou marked the end of General William Tecumseh Sherman's attempt to find an unguarded water route into Vicksburg. | Mississippi |
| Second Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| May 13, 1863 | Two corps, under William Tecumseh Sherman and James McPherson, advance on Jackson | Mississippi |
| Second Vicksburg Campaign | ||
| May 14, 1863 | Battle of Jackson
After a brief fight, McPherson and Sherman's corps take Jackson, driving Joe Johnston off. |
Mississippi |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| May 19, 1863 | William Tecumseh Sherman [US] launches a full scale frontal assault against Rebel lines in Vicksburg. He is repulsed with heavy losses, especially near the Stockade Redan | Mississippi |
| Battle of Vicksburg | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| May 26, 1863 July 4, 1863 |
Siege of Vicksburg
Date of the start of siege varies from May 18 - May 26. |
Mississippi |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| John A. McClernand | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| July 9, 1863 July 16, 1863 |
Battle of Jackson | Mississippi |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| November 15, 1863 | Moving east from the Mississippi, General William Tecumseh Sherman arrives in Stevenson, Alabama with four divisions. Sherman then confers with Grant in Chattanooga. | Alabama Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| November 25, 1863 | Battle of Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga
Three Union armies attacked the Army of Tennessee atop Missionary Ridge, east of downtown Chattanooga. Patrick Cleburne stopped William Tecumseh Sherman from the north, although outnumbered 10 to 1. Joe Hooker was seriously delayed by burnt bridges and failed to hit the southern end of Bragg's line near Rossville, Georgia. Thomas' Army of the Cumberland struck the center, breaking Bragg's line and forcing a retreat. Sheridan, ordered to pursue, was stopped dead in his tracks by William Hardee's rear guard action. |
Tennessee Georgia |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Battles for Chattanooga | ||
| Braxton Bragg | ||
| John Breckinridge | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| Philip Sheridan | ||
| Army of the Cumberland | ||
| Patrick Cleburne | ||
| Joseph Hooker | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| Army of Tennessee | ||
| November 28, 1863 | Ulysses S. Grant orders William Tecumseh Sherman to advance on Knoxville and relieve Ambrose Burnside | Tennessee |
| Ambrose Burnside | ||
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| December 6, 1863 | William Tecumseh Sherman enters Knoxville, formally ending the siege | Tennessee |
| Siege of Knoxville | ||
| February 3, 1864 | William Tecumseh Sherman, having moved to Vicksburg by boat, begins the Meridian Campaign | Mississippi |
| Meridian Campaign | ||
| Leonidas Polk | ||
| February 5, 1864 | Sherman enters Jackson, Mississippi | Mississippi |
| Meridian Campaign | ||
| February 14, 1864 | Federals take Meridian. They continue their "work," tearing up railroad infrastructure and destroying locomotives, but there is little Leonidas Polk can do | Mississippi |
| Leonidas Polk | ||
| Meridian Campaign | ||
| March 17, 1864 | William Tecumseh Sherman, meeting with Grant in Nashville, is promoted to Military Division of the Mississippi commanding the Department of the Ohio, Department of the Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland and the Department of the Arkansas. Major General James McPherson is promoted to Sherman's old position, commander of the Army of the Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| April 9, 1864 | Ulysses S. Grant issues campaign orders. He tells George Meade [US], "Wherever Lee goes, you will go there." Similar orders are issued to William Tecumseh Sherman | |
| George Meade | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| April 27, 1864 | Northern armies break winter camp in preparation for the Spring campaigns | |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Overland Campaign | ||
| George Meade | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| May 13, 1864 May 15, 1864 |
Battle of Resaca | Georgia |
| George Thomas | ||
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| Battle of Resaca | ||
| Leonidas Polk | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| James McPherson | ||
| May 27, 1864 | Battle of Picketts Mill | Georgia |
| George Thomas | ||
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| Oliver O. Howard | ||
| June 14, 1864 | While inspecting his lines, Leonidas Polk is killed at Pine Mountain by an artillery blast ordered by William Tecumseh Sherman. | Georgia |
| Leonidas Polk | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| Generals Who Died In the Civil War | ||
| June 15, 1864 | General Sherman, learning of the defeat at Brice's Crossroads, writes Edwin Stanton "But Forrest is the very devil, ...There never will be peace in Tennessee till Forrest is dead." | |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||
| Brice's Crossroads | ||
| June 27, 1864 | Battle of Kennesaw Mountain | Georgia |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| George Thomas | ||
| Kennesaw Mountain | ||
| July 26, 1864 | W. T. Sherman appoints O. O. Howard commander of the Army of the Tennessee | |
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| Army of the Tennessee | ||
| August 27, 1864 | Forward elements of Sherman's army move south to cut Hood's last supply line to Atlanta, the Macon and Western Railroad | Georgia |
| August 30, 1864 | Sherman's army descends in force south of Atlanta. Hood responds by sending corps under Patrick Cleburne and Stephen Lee to defend the Macon and Western Railroad | Georgia |
| John Bell Hood | ||
| Patrick Cleburne | ||
| August 31, 1864 September 1, 1864 |
Battle of Jonesboro (Jonesborough), Georgia
In the final battle of the Atlanta Campaign, General William Hardee [CS] attacks O. O. Howard's [US] Army of the Tennessee west of the city of Jonesboro. North of the battle John Schofield cut the Macon and Western at Rough and Ready and Hood's Army was in jeopardy. The battle was joined the second day by large numbers of Union troops. Hardee withdraws at nightfall to join Hood at Lovejoy Station |
Georgia |
| John Bell Hood | ||
| Atlanta Campaign | ||
| September 7, 1864 | W. T. Sherman [US] orders the evacuation of Atlanta | Georgia |
| October 28, 1864 | William Tecumseh Sherman, in Gaylesville, AL, decides to return to his field headquarters in Kingston, GA. rather than pursue John Bell Hood into Alabama. | Alabama Georgia |
| John Bell Hood | ||
| November 10, 1864 | On the 10th of November the movement may be said to have fairly begun, General Sherman in his memoirs regarding the "March to the Sea" | |
| March to the Sea | ||
| November 12, 1864 | General Sherman in Cartersville sends his last message to General Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be out of communication with the North until December 13. | Georgia |
| March to the Sea | ||
| November 14, 1864 | Sherman enters Atlanta and divides his 60,000 men into a Left Wing and Right Wing. | Georgia |
| March to the Sea | ||
| November 16, 1864 | Some historians use this date as the start of the March to the Sea. By this time Sherman had marched almost 100 miles, destroyed all or part of Rome, Cartersville and Marietta, Georgia and torn up all the track between Dalton and Atlanta. | Georgia |
| March to the Sea | ||
| December 13, 1864 | Union army captures Ft. McAllister | Georgia |
| March to the Sea | ||
| Fort McAllister | ||
| Fort McAllister | ||
| December 21, 1864 | Sherman occupies Savannah | Georgia |
| March to the Sea | ||
| January 19, 1865 | After regrouping in Savannah for a month, William Tecumseh Sherman begins moving north into South Carolina | South Carolina |
| February 17, 1865 | Sherman captures Columbia. The city is burned, but responsibility for the blaze is still a "hotly" disputed topic. | South Carolina |
| February 22, 1865 | Following a bombardment by gunboats under the command of Rear Admiral David Porter, William T. Sherman captures Wilmington | North Carolina |
| David Porter | ||
| March 10, 1865 | Now near Fayetteville, North Carolina, the major impediment to Sherman's Army march north was rain. | North Carolina |
| March 11, 1865 | Sherman captures Fayetteville | North Carolina |
| March 19, 1865 March 21, 1865 |
Battle of Bentonville
William Hardee, D. H. Hill and A. P. Stewart combine to attack Slocum's wing on the federal advance. In spite of initial gains they are repulsed. Sherman reinforces Slocum on the second day and Slocum nearly enveloped the Confederate forces on the third day. |
North Carolina |
| Lafayette McLaws | ||
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| William Hardee | ||
| Daniel Harvey Hill | ||
| March 27, 1865 | Lincoln held a council of war with Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and David Porter on the River Queen at City Point | |
| Abraham Lincoln | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| David Porter | ||
| April 18, 1865 | Sherman and Johnston reach agreement on the surrender of all remaining armies in the Confederacy. | |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| April 24, 1865 | General William T. Sherman [US] learns of President Johnson's rejection of his surrender terms to Joe Johnston. General Grant, who personally delivered the message, orders Sherman to commence operations against Johnson within 48 hours. Sherman is incensed but obeys orders. | North Carolina |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| Andrew Johnson | ||
| April 26, 1865 | Joe Johnston surrenders to William Tecumseh Sherman | |
| Joseph E. Johnston | ||
| May 24, 1865 | Grand Review of Sherman's Army | |
| July 25, 1866 | Congress establishes "general of the armies" and Ulysses S. Grant is immediately promoted to 4-star general and put in this position. William Tecumseh Sherman assumes the rank of Lt. General. | |
| Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| General-in-Chief, U. S. Army |
William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman on slavery in Louisiana, 1860
The people of Louisiana were hardly responsible for slavery, as they had inherited it; I found two distinct conditions of slavery, domestic and field hands. The domestic slaves, employed by the families, were probably better treated than any slaves on earth; but the condition of the field-hands was different, depending more on the temper and disposition of their masters and overseers than were those employed about the house. Were I a citizen of Louisiana, and a member of the Legislature, I would deem it wise to bring the legal condition of the slaves more near the status of human beings under all Christian and civilized governments. In the first place, in sales of slaves made by the State, I would forbid the separation of families, letting the father, mother, and children, be sold together to one person, instead of each to the highest bidder. And, again, I would advise the repeal of the statute which enacted a severe penalty for even the owner to teach his slave to read and write, because that actually qualified property and took away a part of its value.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Links appearing on this page:
Sherman on slavery in Louisiana, 1860
The people of Louisiana were hardly responsible for slavery, as they had inherited it; I found two distinct conditions of slavery, domestic and field hands. The domestic slaves, employed by the families, were probably better treated than any slaves on earth; but the condition of the field-hands was different, depending more on the temper and disposition of their masters and overseers than were those employed about the house. Were I a citizen of Louisiana, and a member of the Legislature, I would deem it wise to bring the legal condition of the slaves more near the status of human beings under all Christian and civilized governments. In the first place, in sales of slaves made by the State, I would forbid the separation of families, letting the father, mother, and children, be sold together to one person, instead of each to the highest bidder. And, again, I would advise the repeal of the statute which enacted a severe penalty for even the owner to teach his slave to read and write, because that actually qualified property and took away a part of its value.
William Tecumseh Sherman
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Civil War Encyclopedia >> People - Union Military
William Tecumseh Sherman was last changed on - April 16, 2007
William Tecumseh Sherman was added in 2005
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