05 - Sherman’s Recollections of California by William Tecumseh Sherman

In this captivating LibriVox recording, explore three chapters from the Memoirs of American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, focusing on his experiences in California during the years 1846-1848. While many of his contemporaries engaged in the Mexican-American War, Sherman found himself in administrative roles within the newly acquired territory of California. Joined by fellow Lieutenants Henry Halleck and Edward Ord, Sherman embarked on a remarkable 198-day voyage from New York to California aboard the converted sloop USS Lexington. The close quarters of the ship fostered deep friendships, and Sherman vividly recounts a memorable hike with Halleck to the summit of Corcovado, the future site of the iconic Cristo Redentor statue. Arriving in Yerba Buena just days before its transformation into San Francisco, Sherman played a pivotal role in the regions history. He accompanied military governor Col. Richard Barnes Mason to the site of the first gold discovery, marking the dawn of the California Gold Rush. Additionally, Sherman and Ord contributed to the surveying of what would become Sacramento. After resigning from the Army in 1853 and later returning during the Civil War, Sherman left an indelible mark on American military history. In 1875, he published his Memoirs, which remain one of the most celebrated first-hand accounts of the Civil War. British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart aptly noted that Sherman was the first modern general. Summary by Wikipedia and David Wales.