Customer Reviews

Citizen Sherman: A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman (Modern War Studies)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I usually loathe any historical book which puts its subject on the couch, but this is a notable exception. Fellman infuses this book with his own spin on certain matters, but much of the interpretation is accurate! If you enjoy a "National Enquirer" approach to biography, then this is your bag, though a more intellectual, sobering and accurate analysis of events than a tabloid rag. Fellman delves deeply into Sherman's womanizing and the reasons behind it: Ellen, WTS's wife, was a passionless prig, obsessed with Catholicism and being the type of prim, straightlaced wife that Sherman would ultimately abhor. Can we blame him for repeatedly cheating on Ellen? Of course not.

Fellman is much weaker on the military end of the biography and his limitations show. There are numerous factual gaffes and the author is on safer ground when restricting himself to purely personal matters. This is hardly the definitive treatment of Sherman, try John Marszalek's biography (available on Amazon) for an exceptional and scholarly approach. But if you want a book focused primarily on the private life of Sherman, this nicely fits the bill

Some of the above reviews have merit, Fellman definitely puts Sherman on the couch, and, I also don't usually like this, as it takes some liberties that may not be entirely correct. However, it will take more than one source on Sherman to help the reader draw their own conclusions about the man. This said, I very much enjoyed reading Fellman's analysis. I did find it light militarily, however, I really wasn't looking for that kind of bio on Sherman. A history teacher, this was my first exposure to "Cumpy" the man, as opposed to military commander. I found myself wanting to research him more as a result of reading this book, as I feel it inspired me to learn more about him. There is an implication here that the book did not tell me everything I needed to know, but, as stated above, I found myself not really minding as I enjoyed Fellman's ease with words and the simplicity of the smooth flowing text. Therefore, I didn't critique it so much for being a bit on the lighter side of research work. I found that I would need to consult other sources for more information anyway. Having read Grant's bio and Foote's Civil War trilogy, I found this to be a good introduction to Sherman as an individual, especially after hearing Grant's praise of the man in his own work. I'm interested to read Sherman's own book after reading Citizen Sherman, can compare some of Fellman's analysis with Sherman's own. I very much enjoyed the section on Sherman's women, and the way that the text was oriented less chronologically than in the different departments of Sherman's life.

Fellman's prose is dynamic and his knowledge of the events of Sherman's life is apparently up to the task, but his psychoanalysis is overblown. Sherman's psychological problems clearly must be discussed and psychohistory is valid within limits, but almost all of Fellman's paragraphs drip with analysis of what Sherman or Ellen was thinking, why they thought or said it, and, worse, what they might have said but didn't. One example: Sherman hated newspapermen, claiming, with a degree of truth, the military is chained to a rock while reporters were vultures that flew freely. Fellman claims, "Sherman fancied himself the modern Prometheus, the vulture-tortured embodiment of truthful duty." The mere presence of a rock and vultures, frequently used analogies, does not by definition constitute a paranoic self-vision. Fellman paints an ugly picture of W. T. Sherman that smacks of late 20th century attitudes. If you consider Fellman's approach to be valid, ask youself why a used hardback version only costs $1.39 while a used hardcover of Isaac Robertson's Stonewall Jackson bio starts at $19.30. I want to read one of his competitors' works.

I don't want to go into detail about the book, I just wrote a six page review of it for a history class. I would like to point out that anyone interested in a detailed biography of Sherman's life should avoid this book. If, on the other hand, you want cynical speculation as to what was going on in Sherman's head during his life, by all means read it. The Author uses few sources and assumes an incredible amount of detail into the now long past life of Sherman. The author, in hindsight, also criticizes Sherman for being a man of his time. He does this with a few token attempts at impartiality, but never comes across as a sincere historian.

The author seems to only have researched information supporting his questionable theories, shoddily covering the basics. Numerous mistakes on the most basic of information soured me immediately. He confuses Sherman's mother with Sherman's sister in the first few pages. Taking a sampling of letters and writings, the author takes huge leaps to broad conclusions. This is hardly the level of research one would hope to find in the biography of any subject. Read any of the other Sherman biographys before you pick up this one, if you are to pick it up at all.

I have read dozens of autobiographical accounts of the Civil War by its leaders, both Northern and Southern. Most of these accounts were, of course, written in the sentimental, shielded, "polite society" style of the post-civil war/turn of the century years. Although these books offer valuable insight into the author's actions and reactions, philosophy, and basic moral structure, they leave the modern reader without a real knowledge who the author was as a person. It is only through a thorough understanding of the subject of a biography/autobiography that the reader can truly appreciate the way in which a subject continues to influence us years after that person made his mark on the world. For example, everyone knows that Sherman was a hard-headed, all-out warrior whose unwavering determination helped the Union win the Civil War. But not everybody knows about the Sherman who, during the war years, was an unhappily married man whose heart died when his favorite son did; a man who, years after the dust and gunsmoke settled, sought to recover dormant emotional feelings by seeking the companionship of women half his age. It does seem that there are a few very minute points in this book that are historical misrepresentations, most likely caused by oversight. But despite its few flaws, it gives a full and complete portrait of Sherman, the human being - someone we must see for all he was in truth, before we can truly understand his impact on American History.

First of all I am fascinated by this charismatic, controversial figure. Photos of him alone capture a man that appears haunted by demons yet determined to master them at all costs. Besides Nathan Bedford-Forrest, I find Sherman more intriguing than any figure in Civil War history. So note, dear reader that this review is hardly unbiased.
Fellman does what many historians have not done which is give a bit of insight into the psychological make up of Sherman as well as decent study of the history surrounding the man.I found this read more like a profile rather than a history book but enjoyed it even more because of that.
This is not a book I would necessarily recommend for a purist, but Fellman has done a very good job of gathering information often overlook and particularly information I was interested in: What was Sherman like after the war? How did fame settle on a man that prior to 1861 was considered a failure?

Citizen Sherman is not so much an attempt to put Sherman on the couch, so to speak, as a study of his character and personality as evinced through his personal relationships and in his voluminous correspondence. Fellman isn't just making things up or shooting from the hip as some reviewers imply; most of the light shed on Sherman's life and character comes from his own words. You will not find most of this information anywhere else. If you want an analysis of Sherman the Civil War general you won't find it here. But that doesn't mean that an understanding of Sherman the man is not worthwhile. This is a wonderful biography, a beautifully constructed and poignant character study of Sherman the man. If all the Civil War buffs out there don't like its lack of reliable military information, too bad; there are many other places to find that. And since when should an author be hesitant to seek an understanding of an individual's motives, emotions, and psychological processes? This is what the finest biographers do. Fellman does not cross the line by asserting theories that are not backed up by evidence. Indeed, his assertions as to Sherman's feelings and emotions are supported by a great deal of evidence.
I will acknowledge that Fellman, on occasion, does let his liberal bias show as when he claims Sherman was "an utterly inhumane warrior" and the like. After making a brilliant case for the necessity of Sherman's kind of warfare, and letting Sherman speak for himself as to his motivations, very human motivations we all can relate to, Fellman seems to be one of those authors who feels it is necessary to damn any kind of practice that seems to make liberal minded Americans uncomfortable with humanity or themselves. He, as an author, seems to be one of those people who just couldn't live with himself if he didn't somehow pretend he is beyond that, and we all should be too. Well, sometimes just plain old nasty stuff just has to be done, and when it does need doing, we should be glad we have guys like Billy Sherman around to do it for us. This is more a minor annoyance, however, and does not detract from the power of the character study. All-in-all, this is a book well worth reading. You will surely come away with a much enhanced picture of Sherman the man.

I did not like this book when I read it, and I thought even less of it after I heard the author speak! In his biography---and talks---of Sherman, writer Michael Fellman commits one of the most unforgivable errors possible: Fellman judges Sherman, not by the man that he was as framed by events in the 19th century, but rather by Fellman's own, modern-day, extremely liberal views. This fact alone renders Fellman's work of highly questionable value.

This is an interesting but limited biography of General William Tecumseh Sherman. The focus is on the inner life as documented through personal correspondence. Well documented are Sherman's emotional turmoil, and deep seated racism, both against blacks and against native Americans. Those interested in military tactics or more general histories won't enjoy this book. But those who already are familiar with the history of the era and who want to learn about one of the great personalities of nineteenth century America might find this an interesting read, as I did.