Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman

Written by Robert L. O'Connell

Narrated by Andrew Garman

With a unique, witty, and conversational voice historian Robert O'Connell breaks down the often paradoxical, easily caricatured character of General William T. Sherman for the most well-rounded portrait of the man yet written. There were many Shermans, according to O'Connell. Most prominently was Sherman the military strategist (indeed, one of the greatest strategists of all time), who gained an appreciation of geography from early campaigns out west and applied it to his famed Civil War march. Then there was "Uncle Billy", Sherman's popular persona, the charismatic and beloved leader of the Army of the West, and instrumental in the achievement of the transcontinental railroad in his post-war years. This Sherman, as O'Connell writes, was "the human embodiment of manifest destiny." From north to south and east to west, Sherman dedicated his life to keeping the United States united. Finally, there was Sherman the family man, whose tempestuous relationship with his wife (and stepsister!) Ellen is out of a Dickens novel. Throughout, O'Connell breaks down the misperceptions about Sherman, bolstered both by contemporary journalists and by the work of modern historians. O'Connell makes a compelling case that Sherman's march through the south was not a campaign of unmitigated destruction, but a necessary piece of strategy and the perceived chaos has been overblown. O'Connell's Sherman is ultimately a complicated and quintessential nineteenth-century American. Robert O' Connell worked as Senior Analyst at the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency's Foreign Science and Technology Center and was a contributing editor to MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490603957

Robert L. O'Connell

Robert L. O'Connell received a PhD in history at the University of Virginia and spent three decades as a senior analyst at the National Ground Intelligence Center, followed by fourteen years as a visiting professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of numerous books, two of which, The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic and Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, were national bestsellers, the latter winning the 2015 William H. Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography. He lives with his wife, Benjie, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Reviews for Fierce Patriot

[rascalstar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Civil war enthusiasts should enjoy this book, though some of them have been critical of it and some enjoy it. I learned a great deal about Sherman. I didn't know of his many contributions to America as we know it today, his role in the Civil War, and his personal life and philosophies and beliefs and trials. There are 3 major divisions in the book: Sherman as a military man, as a general and his relationship with troops and war ethics, and his family and personal life. I found the man interesting but didn't always like him. Still, there was much to admire about him.

The book wasn't a riveting read, to me, but it was definitely educational and well written, in no way difficult to follow. Civil war buffs can probably relate better because they have much more background and peripheral material to fit into the puzzle of the whole Civil War era. However, history is a good thing for all of us to read.

A tremendous amount of research went into this book, an admirable undertaking for the author. It will be a memorable book for me, another bit of history I now know and appreciate. As with all historical biography-type stories, it's also about the times and the politics and conventions of society. I'm glad I read the book and glad the author wrote it.

I suspect most of us today, of any age, don't know as much as we should about history, so thank goodness authors like O'Connell spend years bringing it to us in digestible form. The many photographs and maps added greatly to the book.

This book came to me by way of Goodreads giveaways as an ARC. Thank you GR.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"It's hard to imagine a more American man than Sherman. And although he died over 120 years ago, it's a safe bet that should Uncle Billy be brought back to life tomorrow, after a short orientation with the requisite hardware and software, he'd find himself right at home." - Robert L. O'Connell, "Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman"William Tecumseh Sherman was the third most famous general to come out of the Civil War, after Grant and Lee, yet he was arguably the most successful. He may not have won as many famous battles as the others, but his march across Georgia broke the back of the South with amazingly few casualties on either side. His success, not just in war but in most other aspects of his life, had much to do with his adaptability, which is what Robert L. O'Connell is getting at in the above lines from his superb 2014 biography, "Fierce Patriot." When circumstances changed, he changed with them.Another key trait was his outgoing personality. He was a non-stop talker whom people actually liked, and he was skilled at making persuasive arguments. His men loved him. Other officers loved him. President Lincoln loved him. Women loved him. He could easily have been elected president, but didn't want the job. Nor did he want to be the Union's top general. In both war and peace, he was comfortable serving under Ulysses S. Grant.Most biographies begin at the beginning of the person's life and follow that life right up to death. O'Connell approaches Sherman differently, and it works amazingly well. He divides the general's life into three aspects and then examines each aspect in detail, even though this approach sometimes takes him over the same material more than once. These three parts are Sherman the Strategist, the General and His Army and the Man and His Families, with the first of these taking up eight of the 12 chapters in the book. This first part covers not just the war but also the years spent developing his strategic way of thinking, from his West Point days to his experience as a banker during the California Gold Rush.The second part reflects on his relationship with his troops, which led to his Uncle Billy nickname. The final two chapters review his complex family life.His father died when Sherman was young, and the family had to be divided because his mother couldn't support all the children by herself. That's how John, later a prominent U.S. senator, ended up in Mansfield, Ohio, while William was raised in Lancaster, Ohio, by a prominent lawyer named Thomas Ewing and his wife. He later married Ellen, one of the Ewing daughters. She was devoted to her daddy and for years lived more with him than with her husband. It took becoming a Civil War hero for Sherman to become the dominant male in the family, although even then their marriage seemed to require long periods of separation to thrive.O'Connell's book contains plenty of fascinating detail. He compares military strategy to surfing, and makes the most of that analogy. He calls Sherman "a prodigy of geography" because of his ability to visit a place once and then remember the exact terrain years later, a useful skill for a general. He tells how just before the Civil War broke out, Sherman organized a military academy in Louisiana, training officers for what would soon become the Confederate Army. Escaped slaves played an important role in Sherman's success in Georgia and elsewhere, providing invaluable information about the whereabouts of food and Rebel soldiers, yet Sherman never gave them any credit. After the war, Sherman encouraged the slaughter of buffalo as a means of pacifying the Indians. And much more."Fierce Patriot" makes fine reading.

[corgiiman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

his was a fascinating book about someone I had always heard of but knew very little. A flawed man but a great general. [Fierce Patriot: the Tangled lives of William Tecumseh Sherman] should be reaad by everyone interested in the Civil War. great job Mr. O'Connell.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great read, although I am prejudiced in favor of Sherman anyway.The author knows his military history and uses it well; he has also found out a lot about Sherman that I did not know.

[dgoshorn-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is subtitled "The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman" and it is so aptly titled. This book is a bit of a tangled mess. They say that, in a speech, you're to tell your audience what you're going to say, say it and then review it. Might be a good strategy in speeches, not so much in books.The book is divided into three sections: Military Strategist, The General and His Army, The Man and His Families. As you can imagine, there's a lot of repeated material throughout the book. For the record, I'm not a fan of this type of biography. Just give me a beginning to end storyline. This book could have been (at least) a third shorter if the author had given us a traditional biography.That being said, it is a good book. Sherman comes shining through the pages of this book. He was a brilliant strategist, handed the press well, always spoke his mind and was wise in his dealings with all sort of problems and people. Although he declined running for public office, I think he would have made a great president.The author contends that "William Tecumseh Sherman's central historical importance is derived from his role in the physical consolidation of transcontinental America." I have to disagree. Stephen Ambrose, in his book no the building of the transcontinental railroad, "Nothing Like It in the World," puts Grenville Dodge front and center of the action. However involved and however important Sherman was to the completion of the railroad, I think his 'central historical importance' is summed up by the author at the end of the first section of this book, when he writes, "The Confederacy was an idea, and Sherman trampled it relentlessly—its symbols, its institutions, its pride—bled the life out of it, and replaced it with hopelessness. That's the way to win." That, to me, is Sherman's legacy. If the Civil War had been lost, the Federal government would not have had the fortitude to build the transcontinental railroad. And Sherman, as much as Grant, as much as Lincoln, won that war. The author states that "Sherman had played a key role in winning the Civil War"—I think that's understated. Sherman destroyed the Deep South's will to fight. Using might, strategy and psychological warfare, he replaced their arrogance with hopelessness. "...one soldier caught the mood of most when he berated a merchant whose store was on fire: 'Say, did you and your folks think of this when you hurrahed for secession before the war?'" Sherman's actions after the fall of Atlanta did more to demoralize the South than any other event in those four years. "In a matter of four months, he had brazenly paraded an army of sixty thousand through six hundred miles of enemy territory, taking what was wanted and daring any one to stop them."While I recommend this book, I think that other biographies of this man are more succinct and offer a more balanced view of his career—such works as Lee Kennett's "Sherman: A Soldier's Life" come to mind.

[mattdocmartin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very exhaustive and thorough review of the career of William Tecumseh Sherman. The only thing keeping this from being 5-starred is the way the author keeps bouncing around and repeating some points, and not as much description of Sherman's tactics in the Civil War as I would have hoped. But still recommended!

[dknoch_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

William Tecumseh Sherman is unquestionably one of America's most well-known military leaders and arguably one of history's ablest generals. His monumental March to the Sea is cemented in American lore, but the roles he played in the California Gold Rush and the First Transcontinental Railroad are not necessarily as widely recognized. In Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, historian Robert O'Connell does an admirable job exploring Sherman's lesser known, but no less significant, accomplishments.O'Connell recounts Sherman's life and exploits in a somewhat unconventional way by dissecting the biography into three distinct, somewhat non-linear, parts. In the first, O'Connell presents a fairly straightforward account of Sherman from boyhood through the Civil War and the general's post-war rise to a symbol of national pride. Citing primary and secondary sources, the easy-to-read (and engaging) narrative is peppered with a fair number of photos as well as a few operational-level maps. When dealing with Civil War battles, O'Connell keeps the discussion at an extremely high-level so as not to bog down the reader with the minutiae of troop movements and tactical maneuvering. Still, a clear emphasis is placed upon Sherman's grasp of the strategic ramifications of his decisions. Often delving into the psychology behind Sherman's actions - and in-actions - the author ably conveys Sherman's impressive cunning.The following parts of the book focus on Sherman's Army of the Tennessee, also known as the Army of the West, as well as his various personal (i.e. romantic) relationships. Both were instrumental in forming not only Sherman the legend, but Sherman the man as well. O'Connell enhances his narrative with numerous first-hand accounts from the soldiers under Sherman's command and from civilians who found themselves within his sphere of influence.Fierce Patriot is an even-handed biography of one of our nation's most notable and well-respected military leaders, perfect for the shelf of not only Civil War buffs but also for anyone with an interest in the "larger-than-life" personalities of American history.

[jackmo77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Robert L. O’Connell, in writing Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman’s biography, Fierce Patriot, The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, approaches the subject in a unique manner. Instead of running through Sherman’s life chronologically, O’Connell breaks down Sherman’s life into three themes – Sherman’s development as a military strategist (the largest part of the book); Sherman’s relationship to his men under his command and Sherman and his family.It is an effective way to examine Sherman’s fascinating life. His family life alone is worth a book-length treatise. Born into a prominent family, his father died when he was a young boy so Sherman was shuttled off to another family, the Ewings, to be raised. His foster father, Thomas Ewing, was a powerful politician. Eventually, Sherman married Ewing’s daughter, further entangling him in his foster family. O’Connell does a wonderful job looking at the dynamic between Sherman and Ewing.Overall, Fierce Patriot is an excellent read with a thorough look at a fascinating character. Even if you’re not a Civil War buff but enjoy fascinating biographies, this book is well worth your time.

[mugsynoir · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy a biography of a larger than life figure and William Tecumseh Sherman fits that mold. He was a gregarious, animated man, subject to periods of depression, but a man of great energy and drive. Outside of Grant he was the most renowned general of the American Civil War, and. it could be claimed, the most successful. Robert L. O’Connell uses a unique approach to telling Sherman’s story, breaking his life into three parts: the war strategist that makes his drive through the Confederacy culminating with his march to Atlanta, Savannah and the Carolinas, the general universally loved by his soldiers who knew him as “Uncle Billy”, and the personal Sherman, his family (or families, since he spent most of his childhood as a foster child). In his introduction O’Connell stakes his position on this approach, “The more I studied the secondary literature and recalled my exhausting swim through the primary documents, the more I became convinced that any attempt to confine Sherman to a single chronological approach was bound to create confusion. Instead, it seemed to me that three separate story lines, each deserving independent development, emerged out of the man’s life.”While O’Connell generally succeeds in examining Sherman’s life and giving an expansive, detailed, impression of this complex man, his successes are in spite of his approach, not because of it. In laying out the story of the young Sherman, his father’s early death, his acceptance into the household of Thomas Ewing, his future father-in-law, his time at West Point through his time as one of America’s greatest generals, and his transition into a brilliant logistical mind guiding the development of the transcontinental railroad, O’Connell had to incorporate a good deal of the material that rightfully would fit into one of the other two sections. Also some material found in the later two sections might have helped explain Sherman’s approach to his army family and his home family. For instance, O’Connell holds until the third section Sherman’s attitude towards religion and his battles with his wife, Ellen, over her staunch Catholicism. O’Connell was most successful illustrating how Sherman developed his attitudes toward war and how his attitude changed during the war. He tells how Sherman’s early days in the Indian Wars and his aptitude for mapping terrain in his photographic mind helped him become the Union Army’s top strategist and a brilliant manager of his army, and how that helped him years later in building the railroad. He explains why the boys in blue came to love “Uncle Billy”, because he learned that they were his greatest asset, not to be wasted on repeated, doomed-to-fail frontal assaults (something that Grant failed to ever understand).But O’Connell doesn’t paint Sherman as a great heroic figure with no blemishes. Sherman was not an abolitionist, in fact he was ambivalent about slavery and he was more appalled at the southern states having the temerity to secede. As Sherman helped build the railway across the plains, he felt no reluctance in exterminating the buffalo while simultaneously forcing the Indians to move. He was a poster boy for Manifest Destiny and O’Connell doesn’t shrink from showing this side of Sherman. While Fierce Patriot isn’t nearly my idea of a great biography, it goes a great way in explaining how Sherman became the man that he was, and why the Union was lucky to have him when its need was most urgent.

[zzshupinga · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

ARC provided by NetGalleyWilliam T. Sherman. General in the Union Army. The man known for setting fire to Atlanta and blazing a trail through the south during the Civil War. It is a name that resonates throughout history. But do we know who he really is? While there have been countless biographies about the man, many of them try to hard to encapsulate his whole life, without ever letting us really know about him. O’Connell however, organizes Sherman’s life in a different manner. Instead of a chronological biography, O’Connell tells of Sherman’s life in three different storylines: the military strategist, the general and his family, and the man and his families. While at times this creates repetitive material, it is a unique and fascinating way to look at a man that has been deemed the first “modern general.” One of the most difficult aspects of writing a biography on a man as well known as Sherman, who has already had countless books written on him, is to write one that creates a balanced view of the man. And while O’Connell does admire Sherman, he has able to do so with a critical eye and place Sherman’s actions into the context of history as “good” or “bad,” which is something many other works lack. In addition, instead of creating a dull dry text that would only interest a few, O’Connell presents Sherman in a more...conversational fashion, as if he and the reader were sitting down together to share a meal and a few drinks together.This is an excellent biography of a complicated man. This book will appeal to all different types of readers, whether history buffs, war buffs, southern buffs, military buffs, or just someone looking to learn something new, they’ll find it in this book. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

[shieldmaidenofrohan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

O'Connell provides an excellent intellectual retelling of the life of William Tecumseh Sherman in the words and descriptions of Sherman contemporaries. Sherman's portrayal in _Fierce Patriot_ is that of a brilliant strategist with a nagging doubt of own abilities; he prefers to be a "wingman" rather than the main man. The book is divided into three main parts focusing on his career as a West Point trained military strategist (and including the infamous "March to the Sea"), the western campaign and conclusion to the Civil War, and--lastly--Sherman's family life as viewed through the eyes of his wife Ellen Ewing and friend-since-childhood and brother-in-law Thomas Ewing. Leaving Sherman's personal life to the last chapters allows O'Connell to focus on the military brilliance of the General beyond the traditional depiction of a hard-hearted man who revolutionized military strategy with an all out destructive war in his sweep through Georgia. O'Connell portrayed Sherman as a staunch unionist with strong nationalistic tendencies and in need of a protective filter. Sherman's verbosity and keen sense of preparedness are depicted as both hindrances and assets. These characteristics often precluded trouble for Sherman, and he operated best behind the protection of men like Ulysses Grant and Thomas Ewing. I enjoyed the broader depiction of one of America's most famous generals, and the book flowed in an easy, informative manner. High recommended reading for Civil War history buffs and students.

[kdh027 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very easy to read. I learned a lot about Sherman, since I had the ...Southern education one-sided view of him. I am unsure of how the author set up the book -- with the three sections, material, timeframes and situations were gone over several times.

[pmartin462 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book, but was a bit disappointed in a few areas of its scope. O'Connell is a good writer, and I learned more than what I had known about Sherman (which was essentially his efforts during the Civil War). However, I wish that the author had spent more time on Sherman's time fighting Native Americans out West. He spent very little time on this subject in comparison to the Civil War. Also, I really did not understand the logic of discussing Sherman's early life at the end of the book--much of it was already discussed at the beginning of the book, and the author just added a bit more detail. Also, throughout the book the author discusses how Sherman had a great skill for memorizing the geography of the areas he visited. I kept on waiting for Sherman to make use of this skill on the battlefield. Maybe I missed it, but I thought at some point the author would have demonstrated, in detail, how this skill allowed him to out general his opponent.

[gothamajp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Robert L. O'Connell takes an interesting approach to the craft of biography; rather than a pure chronological examination of Civil War General, William Tecumesh Sherman, he examines the man in three distinct facets as Military Strategist, General and leader, and Sherman's private life and his reaction to his subsequent fame. The approach is rather front loaded towards the Strategist, and to be honest this section starts to drag and could have been tighter. The book really hits its stride with Sherman as the man, both leader of men and dealing with the strange dynamics of his singular family make up. It ends up being a highly readable examination of a fascinating character.

[ferness_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

O'Connell's biography is all over the place. For better or worse, he follows three separate threads of Sherman's life: Sherman the strategist, Sherman the leader of men, and Sherman the private man: philanderer, racist, imperialist, sentimentalist, and compulsive motormouth well-known for saying provocative things in public. O'Connell is correct to suggest that this may make him the first modern celebrity, who has the habit of being outrageous to attract publicity. O'Connell occasionally has the good turn of phrase, but too often lets modern buzzwords and jargon disrupt the flow of the story. A few myths about Sherman are busted, and other odd facts about him revealed, but most of this territory has been well-covered by others. A good read, but not necessarily a great one.

[rhbouchard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not organized in a conventional biography format. The first part covers the main points in his career and life and hints of things to come. The second part uses Sherman's life as stepping off points to various topics associated with his Civil War campaigns, and finally the third part wraps up his post-Civil War career, and private and family life.It is extremely well-written and tells a good (actually 3 good stories). It took some getting used to the rewinds, but I ended up enjoying it. He shows how many things are connected and all part of the Sherman package.

[ridgeclub · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fierce Patriot divides William Sherman into three: strategist, general, and man. It details his relationship with Ulysses Grant and touches on some blemishes: his treatment of the slaves during the Civil War and the Indians afterwards The March to the Sea is chronicled as a military campaign that turned the tide of the war and Mr. O'Connell also captures the enormity of thousands of men fighting face to face.Even for those who have some previous exposure to Sherman, this is time well spent.

[tlcrawford · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t read many biographies but after reading Robert L. Connell’s “Fierce Patriot: the tangled lives of William Tecumseh Sherman” I think that maybe I should. I will confess that I have always been interested in William Tecumseh Sherman, my grandfather, Sherman Lee Crawford, was the product of a “mixed” marriage, formers Union and formers confederate. Until I was in my thirties I only knew him as William. Now I am wondering if my grandfather knew of the parallels between his life and the life of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Tecumseh Sherman, his birth name, grew up in Lancaster Ohio. His father, Charles, was a well respected but financially unsuccessful lawyer who died when Tecumseh was nine. This left his wife with eleven children and no means of support. A friend of the family, the successful lawyer and politician Thomas Ewing, offered to take “the smartest child” in. They picked Tecumseh and Ewing gave him the name “William”. William Tecumseh Sherman got along well with the Ewing family. A strong bond developed between William and Ewing's daughter Ellen. The bond was so strong that Thomas decided it best to sent William off the West Point at age sixteen. Fourteen years later Captain William Tecumseh Sherman and Ellen Ewing married in Washington City. By that time Thomas Ewing was such a prominent politician that even President Taylor attended the ceremony. Sherman’s grades and demerits at West Point rescued him from the Engineers Corps and put him on the road to a real military career. He saw limited combat in the Seminole Wars but none in the Mexican War. In his eyes his military career was a failure. After leaving the military he continued to see himself as a failure. Connell made sure to point out that those around him saw things otherwise. Sherman's friends and cohorts saw that he had bad breaks but he always landed on his feet and he always managed to do it with honor. With the outbreak of the Civil War Sherman wanted back in the military. As Connell put it “team Ewing/Sherman went into action to make it happen". At first using this modern expression to describe historical events bothered me. Connell’s description of Sherman as a “willing wingman” was also like fingernails on a blackboard to me. These concepts did not exist in the 1860s, it is anachronistic I told myself. After some thought I realized that Connell was not using modern values to interpret these historical actions. He was using words a modern audience would understand to describe what happened. The Ewing / Sherman family, which had developed powerful connections in state and national politics, did, time after time, come together to protect and advance their own members interests. William Tecumseh Sherman would not have understood the term “wingman” but he definitely was one. He was never more able to act independently than when he was under Grant’s command. It sounds implausible but read the book, I think Sherman's reaction to Grant's orders after his march to the sea bet demonstrates this idea. Connell divided the book into three sections, Sherman’s military career from West Point to his retirement, his Civil War army from the soldiers perspective, and his family life. It seemed odd that his childhood should be one of the last things we learned about but the arrangement worked well. If my grandfather did adopt the name William because of General Sherman I now understand what it was about the general that inspired him to do it. Family loyalty. William Tecumseh Sherman was loyal to all his families. Connell has produced a well researched, well written work on one of the nations most interesting wingmen and shed light on one of the most powerful extended families in American history. I have to recommend this book to anyone interested in 19th century American history

[bradkautz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What do you think of, if anything, when you hear the name William Tecumseh Sherman? Some general from the Civil War? The man who led the March to the Sea? Perhaps the quote, "War is hell"? Perhaps for most people Sherman is, at best, a relic from the past, best recalled when answering a trivia question from the Civil War. In Robert L. O'Connell's biography, Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, we are presented with a complex character from another era, yet also a person who could easily be at home in our day.Sherman was a man made for a particular moment in history, a military leader with the right skills at the right time. He was a skilled military strategist and a master of geography who ascended to lead one half of a two-pronged effort that culminated in the total defeat of the Army of the Confederacy. The gifts that he had were nurtured over time, through failure as well as success, emerging at a time when the Civil War seemed stuck, and providing the impetus to move the Union toward victory. And he carefully cultivated the success of his wartime career to carry him through post-war military service and into his retirement. O'Connell presents Sherman as an extremely complex individual and focuses on three aspects of his life to paint his portrait. He writes of Sherman the military strategist, "Uncle Billy," i.e. Sherman the dearly-loved leader of his army, (and it was an army profoundly shaped by the force of his personality), and Sherman the family man. Each of these personages overlap with the other and the result is a biography that takes an extremely complicated public person and focuses on the key roles which, in a sense, could be said that he "played" in his life.This is really an excellent biography. I found it a compelling read from start to finish. O'Connell has done his research well and writes in a very rich style. He was trained as an academic and spent a career in national security but his writing is nonetheless fresh and vibrant. I'm going to keep my copy to re-read again, part to learn what may have been missed the first time, but even more to delight in the prose from O'Connell's pen.

[daddywarbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Robert l. O'Connell has crafted a fascinating account of an often under-rated but instrumental American Patriot, William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman's accomplishments and character are illuminated in a manner that most people, I am sure, would never anticipate.Certainly Sherman's role in the American Civil War was essential (and the author includes an effective general history of the War), but the book also reveals Sherman's intuitive understanding of war and conflict in general. Of course Sherman was not without some shortcomings and he did make some mistakes, but like good leaders, he seemed to learn and developed new approaches in his tactical and strategic thinking. This adaptability carried over to his supporting officers and men, and ultimately set the tone for the evolution and development of the American armed forces. Sherman was eventually General-in Chief, but his influence would have been firmly established even if that had not been the case.O'Connell also reveals many other facets of Sherman: including his attitudes (insights) on race and religion; his experiences in business and academia; his involvement in the development of the Transcontinental Railroad; and perhaps most importantly, Sherman's lifelong grasp and commitment to the Manifest Destiny of this country.It is a compelling and enlightening read -- not light reading certainly, but a very worthwhile portrayal of a man who is more deserving of credit and recognition for his contributions to America.

[phillies-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fierce Patriot makes it clear why Sherman is one of the great heroes of the United States. He is right behind Lincoln and Grant in importance in winning the Civil War. The book does an excellent job of showing how Sherman developed into his role as war hero although it was not obvious for the first 40 years of his life he had what it took. While successful at West Point and a foster child in a very influential family he also did not have a very impressive track record for many years and suffered from depression and let some people to say he was even insane. While Sherman's successes in the Civil War are well known the rest of his life is not. He had a leading role in building the intercontinental rail system and was a pivotable figure in removing native Americans from much of the West. He also may have been the person most responsible for the near extinction of buffalo. O'Connell handles these last two issues very fairly. He does not let Sherman off the hook but gives a balanced view of Sherman's role.The book was divided into three parts: 1. Sherman's history and accomplishments before, during, and after the war, 2. his relationship with the Army of the West and the soldiers, and 3. his personal relationships. In the introduction O'connell explains why he follows three separate tracks. I felt this led to some duplication and I would have preferred more of a single chronological line. However this approach does not materially detract from the story.Sherman's personal life was just as interesting as his war heroics. He married his foster sister and had a fascinating relationship with her powerful family. The book brings out Sherman's character and discusses why Sherman was better as a wingman to Grant than totally on his own. Also it is interesting to read about Sherman's reluctance to enter politics after the war.This is an important book about one of the greatest Americans who had a lot to do with building the US. The book is readable for anyone whether or not they have a deep background in US history. I recommend this book for anyone interested in US history and all who just enjoy a good biography.

[jhgreen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes history has a feel of inevitability about it, but a superb historian and skilled writer such as O’Connell expresses details in a way that leads us to understand how events could have evolved much differently. William Tecumseh Sherman rose through a succession of tragedies, failures, and uncertainties to become an impelling force in history's progression. The death of his father at an early age resulted in his placement as a foster child with Thomas Ewing, one of the prominent politicians of the 19th century. Ewing raised Sherman as his own son, using his influence to get him a West Point appointment and later, although reluctantly, awarded his daughter Ellen to Sherman as a wife.O’Connell has a writing style that brings the last half of the 19th century to life through the eyes and actions of "Cump" Sherman as he was known. O’Connell has an interesting approach in looking at Sherman first as a soldier, then as the integrator of the post-Civil War West, and finally as a human being who had the flaws and hesitations of a Shakespearean character. The author brings in some delightful metaphors that express his point in an appealing manner. For example, he compares the soldier’s life to a surfer, who must develop an uncanny sense of timing and balance and risks being wiped out by an overwhelming force. Throughout the book he refers to Sherman as Grant’s "wingman." This metaphor is a tribute to Sherman's ability to keep his ego under control unlike so many of the other Union generals who failed that challenge so dismally.Sherman's human side is fascinating. O’Connell describes his relationship with Ellen as “gunpowder and gasoline, full of explosive energy and best stored separately." Ellen frequently returned to her family home, usually with the encouragement of her father, to deliver a child or to separate from Cump during his inevitable absences as a soldier. O’Connell theorizes that much of who Sherman became resulted from the competition of a younger man with his famous elder, with Sherman finally succeeding in achieving fame of his own toward the end of Ewing's life.Many Americans will not view Sherman as a hero, disparaging the path of destruction he left as he marched his army from Tennessee to Atlanta, destroyed that city, marched on to Savanna, wreaked havoc in South Carolina, and eventually joined up with Grant’s armies in Virginia. O’Connell reminds us that although Sherman’s troops were pillagers, they were not rapists. However one views this episode, it succeeded in bringing that vile war to a close.O’Connell leads us through the march of the Grand Army through Washington, Grant's elevation to the presidency, and Sherman's ascent to General of the Army. Judged by today's standards the depredations with the Indian suppression, the slaughters and broken promises are a blot on Sherman's character. O’Connell makes it clear, however, that Sherman was instrument of westward migration, carrying out the will of Congress. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in 19th century American history.

[5hrdrive · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful account of a life that could only be lived in 19th century America. Amazing that Sherman had such a huge impact on 20th century America as well. The author sums him up best... "He played a significant role in defining us... it's hard to imagine a more American man than [William Tecumseh] Sherman."