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Agostino Von Hassell

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Sherman: The Ruthless Victor (The Generals Series) Kindle Edition

by Agostino von Hassell (Author), Ed Breslin (Author), Stephen Mansfield (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 69 ratings

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An overview of the life of the controversial Union Civil War general, William Tecumseh Sherman.

He was named after an enemy of the United States.

He was proslavery despite his loyalty to the Union. He burned and pillaged an already beaten foe on a march history will never forget.

If, as he famously said, “war is hell,” William Tecumsah Sherman can be classified as a flamethrower of ruthless ferocity. Defined by his contradictions, Sherman achieved immortality in his role as Ulysses Grant’s hammer in the Civil War. A failed banker and lawyer, Sherman found his calling with the outbreak of war in 1861. With indecision a common ailment among Union generals early the conflict, Sherman’s temperament and unwavering focus on the mission at hand—preserving the Union—helped shift the fortunes of North and South.

Authors Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin present Sherman as once man and phenomenon. From Bull Run to Shiloh, from Vicksburg to Chattanooga, and from Atlanta to Savannah, Sherman carved the Confederacy with a feral singularity of purpose. At times disheveled and informal to a fault, “Uncle Billy” became a hero whose legend only grew with allegations of villainy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Agostino von Hassell earned degrees in European History and Journalism at Columbia University. He is the president of The Repton Group and has expertise in national security matters, high-level investigations around the globe, terrorism, and military issues and global trade problems.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005ENBBTW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson (October 10, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 10, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1722 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 188 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,323,371 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,203 in Biographies of the Army
- #1,887 in Military Strategy History (Kindle Store)
- #4,177 in Civil War History of the U.S.

Customer Reviews:
3.8 69 ratings

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3.8 out of 5

69 global ratings

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TJ SCHOENLEIN

A Solid Short Read...

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2018

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If a person is looking for a short read - wanting to know who he was, where & how he became the most celebrated Civil War leader then look no further then this book. The narrative moves along without bogging down in too much detail. It is my view that the author gives just enough to keep you turning the pages and is fair and balanced in his writings. Sherman was vilified by the south yet admired and loved by the north. “Total War “ was what he believed in and that was what the south got. This book is a worthy read.

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Picartist

Interesting book on Sherman

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2021

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I bought just for fun and enjoyed reading about this man a tank was named after. He was a brilliant general in the sense that he took an entire army and marched through Atlanta and then on to the east coast. He certainly shortened the war, although he made plenty of people mad when his troops took their livestock, farm goods, etc., to sustain his army on the way. Both he and Grant were friends and both similar to George Patton in their approaches to keep charging.

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Thomas W.

Author with an axe to grind

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2019

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It's obvious from the first page that these authors have no affection for W.T. Sherman. condemnation after condemnation makes for a lengthy indictment against the man, not a biography.

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2015

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Whets the appetite for a more comprehensive biography.

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A J

A well-written biography for an undeserving man

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2011

The Generals series has quickly become one of my favorite series of biographies, mainly because of the carefully thought out books and well-written material. Though Sherman: Ruthless Victor, by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin, is of the same literary quality as its brethren, the man behind the book is not of an equal calibre with the others in the series.

This book is slightly shorter than others in the series, but is written extremely well and is generally interesting and intriguing. Where I was disappointed, however, is in the figure of Sherman himself. This book portrays a moody, bad-tempered, and perhaps even insane military leader whose cruelty on the battlefield is what brought him fame. Overall, it left me with a very negative opinion of Sherman and a feeling of having wasted several hours learning about this man's life.

Sherman lost his father at nine years old, and henceforth had little contact with his mother. He was brought up by his foster father Thomas Ewing, an influential man whose shadow Sherman was constantly trying to move away from. His life was marked by a series of initial failures, including a lackluster initial military career, a failure in the banking industry, and a failure as a lawyer.

Particularly interesting was Sherman's contradictory lifestyle. Two examples spring to mind: one, wanting to escape from the influential shadow of his foster father, yet marrying his daughter, and two, being proslavery with an unwavering dedication to preserving the Union. These are simply two examples of major contradictions in Sherman's personal life that were later echoed on the battlefield.

The Civil War took Sherman from his teaching position in Louisiana, and brought him back to military service. Again through the considerable influence of his father-in-law's family, Sherman was given a promotion to Brigadier General after his leadership at the Battle of Bull Run, and later, after a mental collapse in Kentucky, given a position under General Grant in the western theater.

Once in the Civil War, the book seems to run out of any monumental acts Sherman may have done. His only triumph through these five years are the Battle of Shiloh and his famous March to the Sea. Throughout the war, the book paints a picture of a moody and angry man who did not deserve the recognition he received. Especially interesting to me was Ulysses Grant's loyalty to Sherman, even when Sherman privately grumbled at Grant's decisions. The section on his March to the Sea tells us of a ruthless general who destroyed large swaths of the South even when he was facing little or no resistance from the Confederates: a concept now known as total war.

Overall, this was a disappointing read. Though I still hold The Generals in high esteem as a series overall, this individual book was somewhat disappointing. You're better off spending your time reading about Lee or Grant. I must say, however, that the writers of this book were fantastic, faced with the difficult problem of writing a book on a man who did not lead a great life, despite what history says to the opposite.

~ Andrew

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the [...]book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020

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Phenomenal and short overview that gives you glimpse into this famous general. Absolutely recommend this as a starting point in any study of Sherman.

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2016