Cut signature of General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891). N.p., 1889. Approx. 5 1/4 x 2 1/16 in.

Reads in full: "W.T. Sherman / General. / 1889." 

One of the most consequential generals of the Civil War, General Sherman’s (1820-1891) relentless campaigns reshaped the course of the conflict and, indeed, modern warfare. Coiner of the phrase “War is hell,” his application of “scorched earth” warfare inflicted strategic and psychological blows that shattered Southern morale. In his memoirs, Sherman would write, “My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us.” General Sherman’s capture of the city of Atlanta is widely credited as securing Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in 1864, ensuring the war would continue, eventual Union victory, and the universal emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]