An ambitious, capable, self-trained officer with strong opinions, Francis Trowbridge Sherman of Chicago recorded his Civil War experiences in both diaries and letters to his family. Published here for the first time, his writings are notable not only for their vivid descriptions of his wartime experiences but also for their insights into the volatile politics of the era. Sherman s father was Francis Cornwall Sherman, the Democratic mayor of Chicago during much of the war, and the two disagreed sharply about how the conflict might be resolved.
Thanks to his father s political influence,...