General Sherman

Dear Alessandra,


I'm so delighted that you are doing some clinical work, and of course that you are seeing progress with the lymph node. And the photo and video of James are adorable!


So to continue with my historical theme...if you are going to assume the mantle of General Grant in your mantras, then I am going to be forced into the role of his close friend and life-long supporter General WT Sherman.

This is appropriate for several reasons, but most because Grant's courage and determination was a huge source of inspiration for Sherman. Early in the war Sherman had been widely and publicly ridiculed as a coward and a "lunatic" when he had a nervous breakdown at the front. Nonetheless, he later found himself as a commander under Grant at the very bloody battle of Shiloh. The first day of fighting went very badly for their army, and when fighting stopped for the night they had been pushed all the way to the Tennessee River. With the water to their backs, Sherman went to find Grant in the middle of the night to suggest that, all things considered, it might be a good time to find some boats. He found Grant at midnight, in a hard rain, standing by himself under a tree smoking a cigar. Apparently finding a suggestion of retreat awkward to broach, he began by saying "well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day of it, haven't we?"(this was a major understatement, as they had lost 10 - 15 thousand men that day). Grant replied: "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow though".

Inspired, Sherman forgot all about retreat and went to bed. The next day the two generals attacked the Confederates and won a great victory. In the battle Sherman became a hero; he had three horses shot from under him, had his hat shot off of his head, and was hit by a musketball that was going fast enough to go through his shirt, but not fast enough to break his skin . But he did not retreat and helped to win the battle; he went on to become a great general, and Grant's closest friend. They supported each other in battles throughout the war, and for the rest of their lives. When later asked about courage, Sherman gave this definition: "courage is the perfect sensibility of the measure of a danger, and the mental willingness to endure it".

You inspire me and everyone else who knows and loves you with your determination to fight, and at the same time your determination to live every moment to the fullest. I know you are having very hard days now, but you are truly a person of great courage and endurance, and you have a whole army behind you.

Yours,

Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman
US Army, active duty