Kentucky in 1861
Sherman differentiated the force needed to defend Kentucky from the much larger force needed for an offensive campaign.
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William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman’s selected story here begins in Kentucky in 1861, when the forces he believed necessary exceeded what others expected. Reports that he was mentally unfit followed him at a low point in his career.
His later memoir reconstructs the conversation about troop numbers and the pressure of command. This early episode sits beside Brown’s warning in the collection’s exploration of the war’s anticipated and actual cost.
A CLOSER LOOK
The story behind it.
A commander whose early assessment of the war’s demands provoked disbelief.
The view from later life
His memoir tells the episode after the campaigns that made him famous; the account preserves how he understood the earlier dismissal of his estimates.
Sources for this closer look
Sherman (opens in a new tab)Sources & credits
Introductions are grounded in the sources below. Collection notes and reading prompts provide an editorial starting point; personal opinions are identified in the collection’s content.
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