IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Artist
George Peter Alexander Healy, 15 Jul 1813 - 24 Jun 1894
Sitter
William Tecumseh Sherman, 8 Feb 1820 - 14 Feb 1891
Date
1866
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 158.8 x 95.3 x 3.8cm (62 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 1 1/2")
Frame: 175.6 x 114.3 x 7.6cm (69 1/8 x 45 x 3")
Topic
William Tecumseh Sherman: Male
William Tecumseh Sherman: Law and Crime\Lawyer
William Tecumseh Sherman: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
William Tecumseh Sherman: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
William Tecumseh Sherman: Business and Finance\Banking and Finance\Banker
William Tecumseh Sherman: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Union Army
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; gift of P. Tecumseh Sherman, 1935
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.65.40
Exhibition Label
Born Lancaster, Ohio
“War is war and not popularity-seeking.” With these words to his Confederate opponent at Atlanta, General William T. Sherman displayed the attitude that made him both a successful commander and a bitterly hated figure in the South. Sherman first distinguished himself at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, in April 1862, before promotion to command the Army of the Tennessee, and then the entire western theater.
In 1864, Sherman set out to demolish the Confederates’ will and capacity to fight. In Atlanta, he destroyed everything of potential military value: railroads, factories, and supply depots. His army then cut a 285-mile path of destruction to the coastal town of Savannah. Thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans followed Sherman’s army through Georgia. Hoping to provide for some of these people, on January 16, 1865, Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, which re-allocated four hundred thousand acres of land in forty-acre segments to Black families.
Nacido en Lancaster, Ohio
“La guerra es guerra y no búsqueda de fama”. Estas palabras del general William T. Sherman a su adversario confederado en Atlanta muestran la actitud que lo hizo un líder efectivo y una figura odiada en el sur. Sherman se destacó por primera vez en la Batalla de Shiloh, Tennessee, en abril de 1862, antes de ascender a comandante del Ejército del Tennessee y luego de todo el frente occidental.
En 1864, Sherman se propuso demoler la voluntad y capacidad de lucha de los confederados. En Atlanta destruyó todo lo que podía tener valor militar: ferrocarriles, fábricas, depósitos de suministros. Después, su ejército dejó una estela de destrucción de 285 millas hasta el pueblo costero de Savannah. Miles de afroamericanos antes esclavizados siguieron a este ejército a través de Georgia. Con la esperanza de amparar a algunas de estas personas, el 16 de enero de 1865 Sherman emitió la Orden de Campo Núm. 15, que reasignó 400,000 acres de tierra en parcelas de 40 acres a familias negras.
Provenance
The sitter; his son Philemon Tecumseh Sherman [1867-1941], New York; gift to Smithsonian 1934; transferred 1965 to NPG
