William Sherman

            William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8, 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio. His father died when he was very young and his mom couldn't take care of him and he brother so she sent William to live with his father's friend, Thomas Ewing. William lived there and eventually married Thomas's daughter. A few years later, William went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point in 1840. During the Mexican War, William was posted in San Francisco, but resigned and in 1853, he became a partner in the bank of San Francisco. .
             William then became superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary and Military Academy at Alexandria, Louisiana. After the war, the school moved to Baton Rouge and became known as Louisiana State University (LSU). In 1861, William resigned and went back to Ohio, where he was born, and then brought his family to Missouri where he became the president of the Fifth Street Railroad. .
             In August of 1861, William wrote to the Secretary of War and offered his service for three years. In June, he was accepted to the grade of Colonel in the Thirteenth Regular Infantry. He commanded a brigade in the First Division of McDowell's army.
             In October of 1861, William relieved Anderson. He told Secretary of War, Cameron, that if he had 60,000 men he could drive the enemy out of Kentucky, but if he had 200,000 men, he could end the war. Cameron went to Washington and said that Sherman needed 200,000 men. Everyone then started saying that Sherman was crazy, and he was replaced by Don Carlos Buell. Sherman was then sent to the Department of the West in St. Louis, Missouri.
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             In February of 1862, Sherman relieved U.S. Grant at Paducah Kentucky. In March, General Halleck was assigned to command the Department of Mississippi. The army was named Army of the Tennessee. Sherman was placed in command of the Fifth Division of that army. .
             In the spring of 1864, Sherman was made supreme commander of the armies in the West, and was ordered by Grant to "create havoc and destruction of all resources that would be beneficial to the enemy".