William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier and businessman best-known for his role as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865.) Raised by a foster family for much of his life, Sherman entered the military academy at West Point, and assumed the rank of second lieutenant upon graduation.

Although Sherman resigned from the military and embarked on a successful career in banking, he returned to military life when he assumed the role superintendent of Louisiana State Seminary of Learning&Military Academy. The outbreak of war between the states in 1861 prompted Sherman’s return to the North, eventually assuming a commission in the Union army. Sherman’s wartime campaigns were defined by the successful although brutal “scorched earth” policy, in which the Union Army destroyed all Southern resources, including civilian farms, in its path. Following the end of the war and Grant’s subsequent successful bid for the presidency, Sherman assumed command of the United States Army and was responsible for the army’s continued engagement in the Indian Wars. Sherman died in 1891 and is buried Calvary Catholic Cemetery in St. Louis.

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