A great strategist with an uncanny memory and a feeling for terrain, General Sherman inspired terror in the south, making his victories less costly in lives and more effective.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
"General Sherman was like Attila the Hun, but less cuddly." With this first sentence, Coburn describes the traditional view of William T. Sherman. Maintaining that Sherman was neither Satan nor saint, he chronicles Sherman's Georgia campaign as an example. While Grant hammered away at Lee, Sherman mounted a campaign of destruction and terror with far fewer casualties during his march to the sea. History, Coburn notes, made Grant a hero while making a scapegoat out of Sherman, who preferred to destroy property rather than lives. Coburn (English, Fort Lewis Coll.) has written a balanced biography that will appeal to general readers and Civil War buffs alike. Though his book lacks footnotes and a bibliography, its concluding chapter provides a brief review of material, old and new, on "Cump" Sherman. Public and academic libraries will want this book in their Civil War collections.
- Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A folksy, unpretentious view of the Civil War exploits of the crusty warrior who's become identified with the harsh rationalization and ruthless practice of total war. In the view of many, Coburn (English/Fort Lewis College) says, ``General Sherman was like Attila the Hun, but less cuddly.'' The author suggests, though, that the view of Sherman as barbarian is simplistic, and that the general was more interested in destroying property of potential military value to the Confederates than in taking civilian lives. Coburn also contends that, unlike many Civil War commanders who ordered suicidal frontal assaults, Sherman constantly sought to preserve the lives of his own men, and--with a few lapses, like the murderous repulse of Union forces at Kennesaw Mountain--succeeded in doing so. In a colorful, fast-paced account, the author tells of Sherman's march of destruction from Atlanta to the sea, but he argues that the general's march from Savannah to Goldsboro, North Carolina, though less well known, was more destructive, more arduous, and strategically more important. Despite the studied destructiveness of his tactics, Sherman professed to like and admire the South (he headed a Louisiana military school at war's outbreak, and he'd urged his southern friends to desist from secession), and he was actually branded a traitor by Secretary of War Stanton for extending overly generous surrender terms to General Johnston's army. After the war, Sherman garnered new fame as the leader of America's Indian-fighting constabulary and as the author of one of the Civil War's most penetrating memoirs. Despite an incongruous informality (Coburn refers to Sherman throughout as ``Cump,'' a childhood nickname used by only a few intimates): a generally superb account of the lively personality and impressive, if sometimes disturbing, military achievements of one of the Civil War's most important strategists. (Sixteen illustrations, six maps--not seen) (Military Book Club Main Selection) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sherman...a different man,
By Raymond H. Mullen (Shawnee, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Terrible Innocence: General Sherman at War (Hardcover)
I enjoyed this work. Even though it was not an exhaustive report on General Sherman, (as it probably never was intended to be), it was interesting and thought provoking. I especially liked the somewhat fresh ideas on Sherman's treatment of the Carolinas after his well known march to the sea. Not all authors have the poetry and flow of a Carl Sandburg but Mark Coburn has a style that makes this work an enjoyable read as opposed to some that can lose you in details that are not important to the issue. If you can obtain a copy, I would recommend you do so.
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