William Tecumseh Sherman
February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891
William Tecumseh Sherman did NOT mess around. The Union General of the Civil War left a wake of destruction behind him everywhere he went during the conflict. His “scorched earth” tendencies left little doubt of his feelings for his enemy and for the war itself. A career military man, Sherman joined the Army out of high school and served in a variety of means from scouting gold deposits in California to battling Seminoles in Florida. When the Civil War broke out, Sherman received his commission and began leading troops as a colonel. He would go on to see action at many of the major battles of the war like Vicksburg, Shiloh and Bull Run. But, it was his capture of Atlanta and subsequent “March to the Sea” in 1864 that solidified his place in the history books. After the war, he continued to serve. When Ulysses S. Grant was elected as President, Sherman was named Commanding General of the U.S. Army to replace him, a command he held for nearly 15 years. He spent 7 years in retirement in New York City before dying at the age of 81. A massive funeral in New York and another in St. Louis followed.
Burial
Calvary Cemetery – St. Louis, MO
Specific Location
Section 17; At the southeastern corner of Section 17, just across the road from Section 18.
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