General Sherman’s 1864 burning of Atlanta solidified his legacy as a ruthlessleader. Yet Sherman proved far more complex than his legendarymilitary tactics reveal. James Lee McDonough offers fresh insight into a mantormented by the fear that history would pass him by, who was plagued bypersonal debts, and who lived much of his life separated from his family. Asa soldier, Sherman evolved from a spirited student at West Point into a generalwho steered the Civil War’s most decisive campaigns, rendered here ingraphic detail. Lamenting casualties, Sherman sought the war’s swift end bydevastating Southern resources in the Carolinas and on his famous March tothe Sea. This meticulously researched biography explores Sherman’s warmfriendship with Ulysses S. Grant, his strained relationship with his wife, Ellen,and his unassuageable grief over the death of his young son, Willy. The resultis a remarkable, comprehensive life of an American icon whose legacy resonatesto this day.