Letter from General William Tecumseh Sherman to Quartermaster General

This item is a letter from General Sherman to the Quartermaster General. Sherman is  described as “high strung, quotable, irritable, irreligious, prone to bouts of anxiety and depression” (McDonough). Although most people know General Sherman’s name because his infamous Sherman’s march that he lead, he played a much bigger and strategic role in the Civil War and the Atlanta Campaign. According to the notes of McDonough, Sherman spent time studying the 1860 census data to find the biggest and richest farms in Georgia in order to destroy them strategically. In the letter, Sherman asks the Quartermaster to do somethings, but states “ I do not wish to limit his utility to the Qr. Mas. Genl. Dept.” (Sherman, line 2-3). Sherman goes on to tell the Quartermaster General that they should first focus on first principles. Sherman asks for minimum transportation and supplies for the bare necessities including clothing, shells, food, munitions. Sherman gives his opinion on what should be done, and says that if an order like he said was made then the end goal will be reached to provide soldiers with materials. At the end of the letter, Sherman writes, “Although as a rule I prefer plain simple orders of assignment to duty, yet I recognise the fact that you must have your officers distributed so as to fulfil other general duties as also those of the certain armies” (Sherman, line 30-32). He is acknowledging that even though he has a preferred plan, he understands that the Quartermaster General has to perform other general duties to please other people and groups. Reading this letter, shows Sherman’s leadership style and showcases a bit of who Sherman is as a person.

Source: Letter from General William Tecumseh Sherman to Quartermaster General, Antebellum and Civil War Collection, MSS 645, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center.