William T. (William Tecumseh) Sherman

Born in Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8, 1820, William Tecumseh Sherman built his early career as a U.S. Army officer after graduating from West Point. Before the Civil War, he also worked in business and served as superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, the school that later became Louisiana State University.

Sherman became one of the Union's most important commanders during the Civil War. He played major roles in the Vicksburg and Chattanooga campaigns, captured Atlanta in 1864, and led the famous March to the Sea and the Carolinas campaign, operations that helped break the Confederacy's capacity and will to continue the war. His methods made him famous in the North and bitterly remembered across much of the South.

After the war, Sherman served as Commanding General of the U.S. Army and later wrote memoirs that helped define how his career was remembered. He died in New York City on February 14, 1891, leaving behind a legacy of military skill, fierce determination, and lasting controversy.