General William Tecumseh Sherman to Brigadier General George Henry Thomas, 1864 May 30

Summary

Creator:

Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891

Date:

1864 May 30

Extent:

1 folder(s) (1 letter)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

General William Tecumseh Sherman letter to Brig. General George Henry Thomas, ms 1279. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

A three-page letter from General William Tecumseh Sherman to Brig. General George Henry Thomas from the field north of Atlanta, Georgia on May 30, 1864. Sherman describes the proposed positioning of Union troops led by Thomas and McPherson prior to the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

Biographical / historical:

William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), was a Union Army General who untilmately won the American Civil War for the North via modern military strategies such as his "scorched earth" policy which devastated the South. Sherman succeeded General Grant 1864 to become the Union commander, shortly thereafter leading his troops to capture the city of Atlanta, a military success that contributed to the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln. Sherman's famous March to the Sea from the western theater of the war through Georgia and the Carolinas resulted in the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865.

George Henry Thomas (1816-1870) was a Union General during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas had a successful record in the Civil War, especially in Tennessee, but he failed to achieve the historical acclaim of some of his contemporaries, such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, partly due to his reticence to encourage his own fame or pursue political advantage.

Related

Other descriptive data:

Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online as part of America's Turning Point: Documenting the Civil War Experience in Georgia.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Atlanta Campaign, 1864.

Names:

United States. Army
Thomas, George Henry, 1816-1870

Places:

Georgia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.

Restrictions:

A reference copy is available for research; permission in required to use the original.

Preferred citation:

General William Tecumseh Sherman letter to Brig. General George Henry Thomas, ms 1279. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.