William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman was born in Ohio on February 8, 1820 to Charles R. Sherman and Mary Hoyt Sherman. He was the sixth of ten children. His father was a Supreme Court Judge so he was not home often, but when he came home on horseback, a family tradition was that the first child to reach his horse could ride it to the barn. Since he was the sixth child in line, William didn't often win the race, but on one such occasion when he was around six years old he was the first to reach his father he was given the honor of riding Old Dick to the stable. When the stable door was not opened promptly the horse headed for the neighbor's barn, and finding that he couldn't get in there, the horse again headed home. On the way the horse threw young William onto some rocks. When he was found, he was taken for dead, but managed to recover from his injuries. Since this he carried a scar on his face the rest of his life. In the year of 1829 Charles Sherman while away on the circuit, rode horseback from Cincinnati to Lebanon on a hot June day. The next day, he took his seat on the bench, but was not feeling well and adjourned the court early. His fever climbed and on June 24, 1829 he died. With Mrs. Sherman being unable to support ten children, caring family members and friends took all but the three youngest children into their homes. William was taken by Mr. Thomas Ewing and was treated at once as his own son. Since Thomas Ewing was a member of the United States Senate he helped Sherman get into West Point. He became a cadet of the class of 1836 and graduated in 1840 sixth in his class. After graduation he was sent to Fort Pierce in Florida. In 1843 he was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. He spent part of the Mexican War on a detail for recruiting service in New York, and the rest of the War in California, never once seeing action. Finally, on September 6, 1853 Sherman resigned from the military, with a rank of colo...