An aspect of Sherman’s life I found interesting was his lack of religious devotion. McDonough said that Sherman refused to become Catholic even after his persistent wife begged him to convert. Even as Superintendent of the Louisiana Military Academy, he chose not to enforce mandatory chapel that was required in other military schools across the country. It would be interesting to see if Sherman’s relationship suffered following the war due to his ambivalence toward religion. Also, I wonder if the war had any effect on his spirituality. Did seeing men constantly die, and war that destroyed so much intensify or soften his stubborn approach to Christianity. I assume that being surrounded by war can make you hate a god that would let such a thing happen, praise a god from whom you find solace, or reject religion all together.
When Sherman came to Louisiana to take the position of Superintendent, he suggested that the Governor…show more content… Before the event started he leaned over and suspiciously asked if I was fan of the Union General. I told him I had no opinion, and mysteriously said that his great grandfather fought and died for the Confederacy. He went on to say that Sherman introduced a form of warfare that dismantled the south and forever changed the way countries fought wars. For that man whose family member fought in the war, there was still a lingering hate of the man that helped the Union win the war. Nonetheless, William T. Sherman continually appears to be a sore subject for many old southerners. From the experience I have had in talking with my older family members about the Civil War, Sherman is viewed more as a villain than a hero. You wouldn’t necessarily think that a portrait of such a consequential figure in American history would be delegated to hang in such an inconspicuous spot on campus. Yet you can not discount the extent that Sherman’s image as the antagonist is ingrained in the Southern
