The Hard Hand of War

Rachel Neuwirth. The Hard Hand of War. http://www.michnews.com/ Jun 9, 2007
John Landau contributed to this article
Historian James M. McPherson's magnificent collection of essays This Mighty Scourge; Perspectives on the Civil War contains an essay on General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous, or infamous, "march through Georgia " that sheds light on the success of his march in bringing victory, and peace, to the United States.Sherman has always, understandably, been regarded by many Southerners as a horrendous villain of the Civil War. A recent proposal to build a monument to him in North Carolina was turned down by the State Legislature. Even 150 years after the war, the general is still remembered with revulsion and disgust in the South. Yet his tough tactics and willingness to inflict hardship on the South's civilian population ended the war within months, finally ending the bloodshed. Civil warfare and even serious internal violent conflict have never recurred in the United States since Sherman's march. How could a man make himself so unpopular while achieving such a desirable result?



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