Finally, after two months I have finally finished the book. The book was very thorough and paints a very comprehensive portrait of Sherman. The reason it took me so long to read was I hit a reading slump (and a lot of terrible books) that made it reading a huge turnoff for a while. But I really wanted to read this because I knew so little about Sherman except for what I learned in American History in high school and that was too many years ago.

Lee is able to twine not just Sherman's life but events and issues that occurred at the same time into a coherent and seamless narrative. Granted, at times I felt I was studying for a history test but that probably had to do with the wealth of information which could be a bit overwhelming at times. That is not a criticism of the text. The author is an historian and his expertise shows. This is a book that cannot be read in a few sittings. You need time to savor (and to remember your Civil War history). ( )

A face reader can easily deduce from Sherman's photographs that here was a man who confronted life's challenges on each and every turn and roundly thumped them. The pursed lips, the intense gaze and the fiercely furrowed forehead speak volumes to Sherman's tenacity which outlives him even in death.

And this is what McDonough successfully captures in this Magnum Opus biography of Sherman. The life which William Tecumseh Sherman confronted and triumphed over to become the leader we immortalize today. His failings, his successes and his enigmatic family life posited Sherman on the path to glory through which he engraved a new milestone in military stratagem.

Given the subject, though, it is no surprise that Mcdonough's narrative is excessively prolonged with the book's size being enough to put off the lay reader alone.

However, for veteran readers this book will prove a savory triumph given that each chapter is carefully crafted and the prose is meticulous. For tacticians in all walks of life, this book is a must read. ( )

This is long book. The descriptions of the geography, troop movements, and other battle descriptions needed better maps to really follow along in any meaningful way. As a biography it was a rich, deep view of a complicated man. As a history book it was insightful, well balanced and thorough. The history and the man together, with a vast quoting of Sherman, was fascinating and enlightening expose. It kept me rapt and thinking about war, the military, politics, racism, marriage, economics and more on every page. ( )

Enlightening and enjoyable ( )

I enjoy biographies and I picked this one up because I recently read one on the life of Ulysses S. Grant and became intrigued by some of the references to William Tecumseh Sherman therein.

I found this book to be a well written and researched look at the life of Sherman, particularly as it relates to his actions during the Civil War, where he gained his greatest measure of fame and respect. Since I was well familiar with much of this through the Grant biography (though not the details of the Atlanta campaign), I was more intrigued with the period between Sherman’s initial Army career and his re-entry into the Army upon the commencement of Civil War hostilities, as well as his post-Civil War career. Before the War, he bounced back and forth in a succession of jobs and careers, all of which resulted in abysmal failure. Never has a man been better suited for a job, than Sherman in the role of Army commander.

Sherman’s greatest strengths were in the area of logistics, planning, strategy and execution of that strategy. Never was this more apparent than in the Atlanta campaign, in which he provisioned over 100,000 federal troops via a single, strung-out rail line aided by local foraging. He repeatedly flanked the Confederate troops, forcing them to abandon strong defensive positions time after time, executing numerous dangerous river crossings until he reached the outskirts of Atlanta having fired barely a shot. This, at the same time that Grant was sustaining staggering losses in his attempt to batter the Army of Northern Virginia into submission. There would be no Cold Harbor for Sherman.

While reveling in his success and enjoying the power of his position, he was nevertheless perfectly happy to defer to Grant in all things and was loyal to Grant his entire life, serving as Commanding General of the Army in the Grant administration and for many years thereafter. Questions have been raised concerning his mental stability and he clearly suffered some form of nervous breakdown early in the War when assigned responsibility for operations in Kentucky with very little support, however there is no indication that subsequent operations were ever impacted by what could have been a tendency toward depression. Certainly, the family dynamic which he faced (a less than supportive wife) would be troublesome to any man, especially one who faced as many personal financial and business reverses as did Sherman during the decade of the 1850s.

All in all, this is a good biography of a very deserving subject; one that is relatively even handed, though the author tends to support Sherman’s position on most issues. I’ve read more engaging biographies (American Ulysses for one), but can recommend this one nonetheless. ( )