February 7, 2020

Tomorrow, February 8, marks 200 years since the 1820 birth of William Tecumseh Sherman, a leading Union general in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Sherman was most famous for his “march to the sea,” across Georgia, in 1864 and for his march through South and North Carolina in 1865. On these marches, Sherman’s troops destroyed much of the South’s military and economic resources.

The American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman was born 200 years ago on Feb. 8, 1820. Credit: Library of Congress

In 1861, Sherman served as a colonel in the First Battle of Bull Run. After the battle, he was promoted to brigadier general. In 1862, Sherman fought under General Ulysses S. Grant in the Battle of Shiloh. In July 1863, he helped Grant capture Vicksburg, Mississippi, a major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In November, he helped drive Confederate forces from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Sherman’s march through Georgia was aimed at destroying any civilian and industrial property that might help the South continue fighting. Union troops tore up railroad tracks and burned property as they swept across the state on a path 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide. Atlanta was left in flames, shown here. Credit: Corbis-Bettmann

In 1864, Sherman led an army that captured Atlanta, Georgia, and burned most of it. He then began his “march to the sea.” On the march, his troops stripped barns, fields, and some houses. Sherman hoped that the terrible destruction would break the South’s will to continue fighting. The march ended at Savannah, Georgia, a major port near the Atlantic Ocean. Sherman then marched north through South Carolina. His troops continued to seize or destroy property in their path. Most of Columbia, the state capital, was burned. The Confederates blamed Sherman for the fire, but Sherman denied that his troops had set it. After leaving Columbia, Sherman continued north into North Carolina. There, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston tried to stop Sherman. But Johnston had only about a third as many troops as Sherman did, and Sherman continued his march. In April 1865, Johnston surrendered to Sherman near Durham, North Carolina.

Sherman was born on Feb. 8, 1820, in Lancaster, Ohio. His father, an Ohio Supreme Court justice, died when William was 9 years old. After his father’s death, William went to live with the family of Thomas Ewing, an Ohio politician. In 1840, Sherman graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He fought in Florida in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). After the Civil War, Sherman served as commanding general of the United States Army from 1869 to 1883. He died on Feb. 14, 1891.

October 8, 2018

On Oct. 8, 1918, 100 years ago today, Alvin York, a soldier in the United States Army, killed more than 20 German troops and forced 132 others to surrender during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France during World War I (1914-1918). York was a member of a patrol sent to silence German machine-gun nests. An expert marksman, York shot about 25 enemy soldiers and forced a German major to order the survivors to surrender. For his deed, York received the Medal of Honor, the highest award for courage given by the U.S. military. Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France called York’s action “the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe.” Although he became famous as “Sergeant York,” he held the rank of corporal at the time of his incredible feat.

Sergeant Alvin C. York is seen here in 1919 aboard the USS Ohioan, the troop transport that returned him to the United States after the end of World War I. Credit: National Archives

York’s Medal of Honor citation reads, “After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and 3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.”

Alvin Cullum York was born on Dec. 13, 1887, in Fentress County, Tennessee, and grew up on a mountain farm. He developed amazing marksmanship with the rifle and pistol while a boy. He became deeply religious and sought exemption from the draft because he believed war was wrong. But he was denied exemption.

The 1941 motion picture Sergeant York told York’s life story and detailed his exploits of October 1918. York died on Sept. 2, 1964.

March 16, 2018

On March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today, the My Lai Massacre took place in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai 4, commonly known as My Lai, in Sơn Mỹ village, Quảng Ngãi Province. At the height of the Vietnam War (1957-1975), United States Army troops entered the small community of My Lai 4 in search of enemy forces. In past weeks, there had been many U.S. casualties in the area. The troops found mostly women, children, and elderly men in My Lai. The soldiers rounded up and then shot and killed hundreds of civilians. The atrocity was one of the darker moments of U.S. history, and its revelation in 1969 helped turn U.S. public opinion strongly against the war.

This memorial to the victims of the My Lai Massacre was built on the site of the killings in 1978. Credit: © Dinosmichail/Shutterstock

In 1968, My Lai sat in South Vietnam near the border of North Vietnam (centrally located in today’s unified Vietnam). The area was a center of Viet Cong (South Vietnamese guerrillas fighting for the North) activity against U.S. and South Vietnamese troops. On March 15, Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division, was told that My Lai 4 was part of a Viet Cong stronghold. Charlie Company had arrived in Vietnam three months previously, and had seen off-and-on fighting during the Tet Offensive that began in late January. Daily losses hardened the soldiers and traumatized some. Many sought revenge for comrades killed or wounded in action.

Upon entering My Lai on the morning of March 16, two platoons of Charlie Company (about 80 men) engaged a few enemy soldiers, but most people they encountered were civilians. Caught up in a moment of collective violence, the soldiers began killing people, accusing them of being Viet Cong sympathizers. A third platoon from Charlie Company joined in the carnage and set fire to homes and buildings. From the air, helicopter pilot Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson witnessed the killing, and—trying to stop it—reported it to his superiors. He then landed his helicopter next to a group of civilians to protect them against further slaughter. Several other soldiers refused to take part in the massacre, but by the end of the day between 350 and 500 Vietnamese, almost all of them civilians, were dead.

Warrant Officer Thompson filed a complaint about the events at My Lai, but it was silenced by his superiors. A year later, helicopter gunner Ron Ridenhour (who was not present at the massacre, but collected eyewitness testimonies) wrote about the killings to prominent people in Washington, D.C., and an official investigation was begun. In November 1969, stories detailing the My Lai Massacre appeared in U.S. newspapers, and in December, brutal photographs taken during the killings were shown on television.

Twenty-five soldiers were charged with crimes, but only Lieutenant William L. Calley, leader of Charlie Company’s 1st Platoon, was found guilty of murder. In 1971, he was sentenced to life in prison. Some people felt that Calley was unfairly singled out. They argued that Vietnam combat was so stressful that cruelty was inevitable. Calley’s sentence was repeatedly reduced, and he was released in 1974. The My Lai action caused Americans’ support for the war effort to drop, at a time when support was already low. American combat troops left Vietnam in 1973.