Home > American Civil War > William T. Sherman Biography

Born February 8, 1820
Lancaster, Ohio
Died February 14, 1891
New York, New York

Union general

Led the capture of Atlanta, Georgia, then took his
forces on the destructive "March to the Sea"

William T. Sherman was one of the most controversial generals of the Civil War. He rose through the military ranks to become commander of the Union forces in the West (the area west of the Appalachian Mountains). In September 1864, his troops captured the important Southern industrial city of Atlanta, Georgia. Sherman ordered all civilians (people who are not part of the army, including women and children) to leave the city and then burned it down. Afterward, the general marched his Union troops across Georgia to the city of Savannah on the Atlantic coast. During this famous "March to the Sea," Sherman's army lived off the countryside, taking whatever food and supplies they...