, Research Paper
?General Sherman?s Views on Modern War?
The Civil War was a war of great bloodshed and a war in
which brothers fought against brothers and neighbors against
neighbors. The war caused many devastating tragedies and
affected many people in many different ways, but one man
stood out amongst the rest in this civil unrest. This man
was General ?Cump? Sherman. General Sherman at the time of
his home state of Louisiana?s secession from the Union was a
proslavery and negrophobic white man who found great
disturbance in the fact that the South, which he was so fond
of and loved so much, would cause the break up of the
nation. He was outraged with the South for this and
believed that they must be severely punished for opening the
way to such chaos. He had learned to love the South and
Louisiana, but he loved the Union more, and because of this
chose to use his strong military knowledge to fight along
side Ulysses S. Grant for the Union cause of antislavery.
Sherman related extremely well with Grant, they
complemented each other. They operated together in perfect
harmony. Sherman was the side of the more intelligent and
excitable nature, where as Grant held strong qualities of
determination and calm stability which linked him and
Sherman together so well. Sherman and Grant not only gave
help and confidence to each other the brought them together
in aid of the Union. Sherman believed that Grant brought a
?simple faith in success? to the Union that enabled himself
to ?act with confidence.? These two war heroes paired
together left the Confederacy with only the option the
bicker and complain that Grant was a psychotic and
bloodthirsty man that wanted no more than to see the
complete death of the people he turned his back on.
Sherman?s reputation among white Southerners was that
of a killer, but there are many strong points to support the
fact that he wanted no bloodshed but only to see the nation
to become a whole again. He was not a psychotic, he was
simply a man with a vivid imagination. The point that
greatly backs up the fact that General Sherman was not one
for bloodshed is in his plans of his march through Georgia.
He did not want to kill the people, but only there spirits
and there will to resist. His plan consisted of ruining the
South?s will to resist in the way of literally burning all
crops, houses, and possessions in his way. This he believed
would cause the South to surrender because they would have
no reason to fight and this was General Sherman?s view of
what modern war was.
In Sherman?s march through Georgia he ?left his army in
the air and started off without a base to march from Georgia
to South Carolina, he had either done one of the most
brilliant or one of the most foolish things ever preformed
by a military leader.? This is what the British had to say
about the tactics that Sherman put into play. Sherman knew
what he believed modern war was supposed to be and his
reasoning reflected his understanding of this. He knew that
in order to win they must fight against the hostile people
that stood with the C.S.A. and the had to let the feel the
wrath of war for themselves, not in the way of blood but
lost spirits and will.