Francis Trowbridge Sherman

This article is about the Civil War General. For the poet, see Francis Joseph Sherman.

Francis Trowbridge Sherman (1825–1905) was a Union general during the American Civil War. He served in the cavalry and infantry, seeing action in both the Western Theater and Eastern Theater.

Francis T. Sherman
Born	(1825-12-31)December 31, 1825 Newtown, Connecticut
Died	November 9, 1905(1905-11-09) (aged 79) Waukegan, Illinois
Place of burial	Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service / branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861-1866
Rank	Brigadier General of Volunteers
Commands	88th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars	American Civil War Battle of Perryville Battle of Stones River Battle of Missionary Ridge Atlanta Campaign Appomattox Campaign
Other work	Brick maker, postal clerk, hotel proprietor
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Biography

Early life

Sherman was born in Connecticut in 1825 but his family moved to Illinois in 1834 where his father, Francis Cornwall Sherman became heavily involved in Chicago politics serving as alderman and mayor of the city and as a state representative. Francis T. Sherman traveled to West to participate in the California Gold Rush before returning to Illinois.

Civil War service

Early in the Civil War began, Sherman served as lieutenant colonel of the 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and major of the 12th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry without seeing any significant action. On September 4, 1862 he was appointed colonel of the 88th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment (a.k.a. 2nd Board of Trade Regiment). Sherman led his regiment at the battles of Perryville and Stones River. He was not with the army during the battle of Chickamauga but took command of a brigade shortly after the battle. His brigade became the 1st Brigade in Philip H. Sheridan's 2nd Division of the newly formed IV Corps. Sherman was one of the brigade commanders that made the charge up Missionary Ridge during the battle of Chattanooga. He continued leading his brigade during the early part of the Atlanta Campaign at Rocky Face Ridge and Resaca before he was appointed as the chief of staff to the IV Corps. He served in that capacity during the rest of the campaign until he was captured outside Atlanta on July 7, 1864. He was officially exchanged on October 7, 1864 and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac as the assistant inspector general of the Cavalry Corps during the Appomattox Campaign. Sherman was brevetted to brigadier general on March 13, 1865 and received a full promotion to brigadier general of volunteers on July 21, 1865. He was mustered out of the volunteer services on January 15, 1866.

Later life

Sherman's grave at Graceland Cemetery

Following the war General Sherman embarked on a series of business ventures starting with managing a sugar plantation in Louisiana for a year before returning to Chicago. Back in Chicago he worked as the postmaster of Chicago for two years before starting a stone and sand manufacturing company called Sherman, Haley & Company. The business was ruined in 1871 by the Great Chicago Fire which forced Sherman to seek business ventures elsewhere in the U.S. before he settled in Waukegan, Illinois where he died in 1905.

He was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

External links

• Francis Trowbridge Sherman Papers Archived July 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at Newberry Library