William tecumseh sherman civil war biography

Sherman’s Early Years

With an unusual middle name received from his father, a prominent lawyer and judge who admired the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, William Tecumseh Sherman was born February 8, 1820, in Lancaster, Ohio.

The death of Sherman’s father when he was 9 left his mother a poor widow with 11 children. Most of the Sherman children were fostered out to live with other families.

Sherman, nicknamed “Cump,” was raised by John Ewing, a family friend who was an Ohio senator and Cabinet member.

Sherman later married his foster sister, Ellen Ewing, and the couple had eight children.

Sherman was not the only successful member of his family. An elder brother became a federal judge, and younger brother John Sherman was elected to the U.S.

Senate and later served as both secretary of the treasury and secretary of state. Several of his Ewing foster siblings also rose to prominence.

West Point and Early Military Career

When Sherman was 16, John Ewing secured him a position at the U.S