William T. Sherman and the South

• Published in: American nineteenth century history Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Author: Reid, Brian Holden
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01.03.2010
• Subjects: Civil War; Nineteenth Century; United States of America
• ISSN: 1466-4658; 1743-7903
• DOI: 10.1080/14664651003616768

When asked to deliver the Peter J. Parish Memorial Lecture, Reid decided that his theme would be "Sherman and the South," not only because this was a favorite subject of Parish, but also because Parish had expressed approval of Reid's approach to the topic. The lecture is focused around four recent biographies of Sherman -- by John Marszalek (1993), Michael Fellman (1995), Stanley Hirshson (1997), & Lee Kennett (2001) -- & its central theme is that one should not automatically assume a connection between the personality, or psychology, of a victorious commander & the way he treats the territory through which the armies under his command advance. Focusing on Sherman's treatment of the military district of Memphis, TN, in 1962, Reid argues that Sherman's military actions tended to be mundane, technical, & related to solving the immediate tactical & logistical problems presented by what others, not Sherman himself, referred to as his famous Marches through the South. References. S. Stanton