Description: William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), prominent military leader from Ohio, helped to lead the Union Army to victory in the Civil War. In this portrait photograph he is shown in old age. His hair and beard are white, and he is wearing civilian attire. His signature appears at the bottom of the portrait. Below the signature is the name and business address of a photography studio: "C. Parker / 447 Penn. Ave. Washington, D.C." Sherman was born on February 8, 1820, in Lancaster, Ohio. He was named after Tecumseh, the famous Shawnee leader. Sherman's father died in 1829. Sherman's mother could not take care of all of her children and had several of them adopted into other families. Thomas Ewing, a neighbor and close family friend, raised William Sherman as a foster son. Sherman attended common schools and received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1836. He graduated in 1840, ranking sixth in a class of forty-two students. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of artillery. He participated in the Seminole War from 1840 to 1842. During the late 1840s, he was stationed in California and helped Californians secure their independence from Mexico in the Mexican-American War. He resigned his commission in 1853 and went into banking, at which he was not successful. n 1859, Sherman became the superintendent of the Louisiana Military Academy. He also served as a professor of engineering, architecture, and drawing. At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861 Louisiana's seceded from the Union. Sherman resigned his position and returned to the North. In May 1861, Sherman joined the Union army and was immediately commissioned a brigadier-general of volunteers. He commanded the Third Brigade, First Division, of the Army of Northeastern Virginia at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. His men suffered numerous casualties in the battle. He was transferred to the Department of the Cumberland in August 1861, and Sherman assumed command of that department in October of that year. In this position, Sherman played a vital role in securing Kentucky for the Union. Following the fall of Atlanta, Sherman set out on a "March to the Sea." He determined to break the will of the Southern population between Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. Sherman left his wagon train behind and ordered his men to feed themselves with what they could find along the way. The Northerners even requisitioned food from the slave population. Sherman realized that the civilian population was supplying the Confederate military with food and other supplies. He decided that one way to win the war was to break the will of the civilian population and to end its ability and desire to equip an army. He left Atlanta on November 15, 1864, and traveled the more than two hundred miles to Savannah by December 21. He faced little resistance from the Confederate military. In 1865, Sherman led his army into the Carolinas, using the same tactics that he had used on the "March to the Sea." General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered at Durham Station, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865 and the Civil War soon came to an end. Sherman remained in the military following the Civil War, serving first as the commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi and then commander of the Military Division of the Missouri. When Ulysses S. Grant became President of the United States in 1869, Sherman replaced him as General of the United States Army. He retired on November 1, 1883, and was succeeded by General Philip Sheridan. Sherman moved to New York City in 1886. He died on February 14, 1891, and was buried in St. Louis, Missouri. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06605
Subjects: Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891; Civil War 1861-1865; Portraits; 1861-1865--Military officers--Union
Places: Lancaster (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio)
 

Description: A proclamation recognizing May 17, 2014 as Colonel Charles Young Day in the state of Illinois. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS2009_B01F04_E
Subjects: African Americans; African American soldiers; Young, Charles, 1864-1922.; Buffalo Soldiers; National Minority Military Museum Foundation (NMMMF); Certificates
Places: Illinois
 

Description: A resolution dedicated to Colonel Charles Young, urging the United States Congress to pass House Resolution 5308 allowing the promotion of Young to Brigadier General. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS2009_B01F04_B
Subjects: African Americans; African American soldiers; Young, Charles, 1864-1922.; Buffalo Soldiers; National Minority Military Museum Foundation (NMMMF); Certificates
Places: Kentucky
 

Description: A certificate remembering, honoring, and recognizing Colonel Charles Young for his military service by Senator Robin L. Webb and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS2009_B01F04_H
Subjects: African Americans; African American soldiers; Young, Charles, 1864-1922.; Buffalo Soldiers; National Minority Military Museum Foundation (NMMMF); Certificates
Places: Kentucky
 

Description: Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of Illinois, proclaiming June 1, 2016 as a day of recognition honoring Colonel Charles Young and the Buffalo Soldiers in Illinois. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS2009_B01F05_G
Subjects: African Americans; African American soldiers; Young, Charles, 1864-1922.; Buffalo Soldiers; National Minority Military Museum Foundation (NMMMF); Certificates
Places: Springfield (Illinois)
 

Description: Two photographs show Charles Young, one of the first African American men to enjoy a successful military career. One photograph, which measures 3.2 by 4.1 inches (8.22 by 10.46 cm), shows Young in the uniform of a United States Military Academy cadet. In the second image, measuring 3.7 by 6.2 inches (9.4 by 15.75 cm), Young wears the uniform of an army officer. Young (1864-1922), a Kentucky native raised in Ohio, graduated from Ripley Colored High School in 1880. He won appointment to West Point in 1884 and in 1889 became the third African American graduate from the school. Young taught military science at Wilberforce University and later served in the Spanish American War as the major in command of the 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.). He had an exceptional military career, highlighted by his appointments to serve as military attache to Haiti and Liberia. He commanded troops in the "Punitive Expedition" in Mexico, and during the "Filipino Insurrection." He was also superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks. At the outset of World War I, Young was the highest-ranking African American in the army. Rather than promote him, and place in a position of authority over white soldiers, the army involuntarily retired Young from active duty, ostensibly because of ill health. To prove his fitness for duty, he rode horseback from his home in Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. The army, nevertheless, did not promote him to colonel until after he retired from service. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om873_807073_001
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Military Ohio; Spanish American War; 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.); African American Soldiers
Places: Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio); West Point (New York)
 

Description: Charles Young created this portfolio while a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Young was an army officer, expert mapmaker, and musician. A selection of pages from the portfolio provided here includes pencil drawings, drawing exercises, cartography exercises, and a map of West Point. The portfolio measures approximately 19.75" by 24.25" (50.17 by 61.60 cm). Young (1864-1922), a Kentucky native raised in Ohio, graduated from Ripley Colored High School in 1880. He won appointment to West Point in 1884 and in 1889 became the third African American graduate from the school. Young taught military science at Wilberforce University and later served in the Spanish American War as the major in command of the 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.). He had an exceptional military career, highlighted by his appointments to serve as military attache to Haiti and Liberia. He commanded troops in the "Punitive Expedition" in Mexico, and during the "Filipino Insurrection." He was also superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks. At the outset of World War I, Young was the highest-ranking African American in the army. Rather than promote him, and place him in a position of authority over white soldiers, the army involuntarily retired Young from active duty, ostensibly because of ill health. To prove his fitness for duty, he rode horseback from his home in Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. The army, nevertheless, did not promote him to colonel until after he retired from service. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1799_1765273_001
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Arts and Entertainment; Military Ohio; United States Military Academy; Portfolios
Places: West Point (New York)
 

Description: House Resolution 1070 recognizing the opening of the Colonel Charles Young temporary exhibit and the presentation of the bronze maquette in his honor. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS2009_B01F04_D
Subjects: African Americans; African American soldiers; Young, Charles, 1864-1922.; Buffalo Soldiers; National Minority Military Museum Foundation (NMMMF); Certificates
Places: Illinois
 

Description: Portrait print of Philip Henry Sheridan in uniform. Sheridan (1831-1888) was born to Irish immigrants John and Mary Sheridan, who settled in Somerset, Ohio. As a young man, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. When the Civil War broke out, Sheridan was a captain in the army; by the end of the war, he had been promoted to major general. Just before his death he became the fourth man to receive the rank of full general, following George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and William T. Sherman. Over the course of his career he held numerous important positions, including Commander of the Army of the Shenandoah, military governor of Texas and Louisiana, and commander in chief of the U.S. Army. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2855_01
Subjects: Sheridan, Philip Henry, 1831-1888; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military officers--Union; Military Ohio; Military uniforms
Places: Somerset (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reproduction of Major General George B. McClellan, ca. 1861-1865. McClellan was a prominent 19th century American military and political leader, born December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1842, McClellan received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1846, ranking second in his class. McClellan resigned his army commission in 1857 to become involved in the railroad industry, and using his training in engineering from West Point, he served as an engineer for the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. During this time, he lived primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio. With the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861, McClellan reenlisted in the United States Army and played an important role in Ohio's early defense. Early in the war, General McClellan enhanced his reputation as a skillful military leader and was appointed as commander of the Army of the Potomac by President Abraham Lincoln. But after his unsuccessful assault on Richmond, Virginia, and his failure to defeat General Lee’s forces in the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln removed McClellan from his command in November 1862. McClellan never received another military command and later became one of Lincoln’s chief critics. In 1864, the Democratic Party selected McClellan as its presidential candidate to oppose Lincoln’s reelection, but Lincoln won the election by an overwhelming margin. McClellan resigned his commission in the United States Army and later became the governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. He died on October 29, 1885. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC3535_01_01
Subjects: McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Generals--United States; Military officers
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Print of Major General George B. McClellan from a portrait taken in 1862. McClellan was a prominent 19th century American military and political leader, born December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1842, McClellan received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1846, ranking second in his class. McClellan resigned his army commission in 1857 to become involved in the railroad industry, and using his training in engineering from West Point, he served as an engineer for the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. During this time, he lived primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio. With the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861, McClellan reenlisted in the United States Army and played an important role in Ohio's early defense. Early in the war, General McClellan enhanced his reputation as a skillful military leader and was appointed as commander of the Army of the Potomac by President Abraham Lincoln. But after his unsuccessful assault on Richmond, Virginia, and his failure to defeat General Lee’s forces in the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln removed McClellan from his command in November 1862. McClellan never received another military command and later became one of Lincoln’s chief critics. In 1864, the Democratic Party selected McClellan as its presidential candidate to oppose Lincoln’s reelection, but Lincoln won the election by an overwhelming margin. McClellan resigned his commission in the United States Army and later became the governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. He died on October 29, 1885. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC3535_02
Subjects: McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Generals--United States; Military officers
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Carte de visite of Major General George B. McClellan, ca. 1861-1865. McClellan was a prominent 19th century American military and political leader. He was born on December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1842, McClellan received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1846, ranking second in his class. McClellan resigned his army commission in 1857 to become involved in the railroad industry, and using his training in engineering from West Point, he served as an engineer for the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. During this time, he lived primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio. With the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861, McClellan reenlisted in the United States Army and played an important role in Ohio's early defense. Early in the war, General McClellan enhanced his reputation as a skillful military leader and was appointed as commander of the Army of the Potomac by President Abraham Lincoln. But after his unsuccessful assault on Richmond, Virginia, and his failure to defeat General Lee’s forces in the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln removed McClellan from his command in November 1862. McClellan never received another military command and later became one of Lincoln’s chief critics. In 1864, the Democratic Party selected McClellan as its presidential candidate to oppose Lincoln’s reelection, but Lincoln won the election by an overwhelming margin. McClellan resigned his commission in the United States Army and later became the governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. He died on October 29, 1885. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC3535_E1_05_01
Subjects: McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Generals--United States; Military officers
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)