MEMOIRS OF GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN
By William T. Sherman
VOLUME I.
Part 1
VOLUME I.
Part 1
GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN
HIS COMRADES IN ARMS,
VOLUNTEERS AND REGULARS.
Nearly ten years have passed since the close of the civil war inAmerica, and yet no satisfactory history thereof is accessible tothe public; nor should any be attempted until the Government haspublished, and placed within the reach of students, the abundantmaterials that are buried in the War Department at Washington.These are in process of compilation; but, at the rate of progressfor the past ten years, it is probable that a new century will comebefore they are published and circulated, with full indexes toenable the historian to make a judicious selection of materials.
What is now offered is not designed as a history of the war, oreven as a complete account of all the incidents in which the writerbore a part, but merely his recollection of events, corrected by areference to his own memoranda, which may assist the futurehistorian when he comes to describe the whole, and account for themotives and reasons which influenced some of the actors in thegrand drama of war.
I trust a perusal of these pages will prove interesting to thesurvivors, 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 thata country and government such as ours are worth fighting for, anddying for, if need be.
If successful in this, I shall feel amply repaid for departing fromthe usage of military men, who seldom attempt to publish their owndeeds, but rest content with simply contributing by their acts tothe 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 myMemoirs, and, being once more at leisure, I have revised them inthe light of the many criticisms public and private.
My habit has been to note in pencil the suggestions of critics, andto examine the substance of their differences; for critics mustdiffer from the author, to manifest their superiority.
Where I have found material error I have corrected; and I have