The possessions of William T. Sherman, the Civil War general known for saying, “War is hell,” include battlefield weapons, handwritten books, and a family Bible. is being auctioned. -A craft of the era.
Online bidding on Sherman's belongings begins before in-person auctions begin Tuesday at Fleischer's Auctions in Columbus, Ohio. It reflected interest in one of the war's most notorious figures known. He passed through Georgia in 1864 to the sea.
Some of Sherman's artifacts still bear his handwriting and others were used in the war before being passed on to his descendants, but they are a result of the Civil War and widespread sales of African American artifacts. It was provided by Fleischer's as part of the program.
By Tuesday morning, the highest bid was $19,000 for a copy of Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs that the auction house said had been “heavily annotated” by Mr. Sherman. An 1829 algebra book published by Sherman as a child, complete with doodles, sold for up to $1,500. A bundle of his military belongings, including a pistol and a dagger, had sold for up to $3,500. The insignia lanyard on his uniform indicating his rank sold for $18,000.
His wartime saber, its scabbard and military chest marked “Book” sold for $71,500.
One of the most important figures of the Civil War, Sherman left a legacy of conflicting stories surrounding his tactics, particularly his march to the sea when closing in on Confederate forces in the South. In 1864, troops under his command captured Atlanta, an industrial center and center of the Southern railroad network, a strategic victory widely credited with securing Abraham Lincoln's reelection. .
“It's no exaggeration to say that without Sherman, the war would have been lost,” says Michael Johnson, director of Sherman House Museum, Sherman's birthplace in Lancaster, Ohio.
The eventual Union victory led to the liberation of the enslaved people.
This auction demonstrated how artifacts are seen as a deep and tangible way for posterity to connect with history. In March, after word spread that Sherman's belongings would be auctioned off, Johnson issued a statement asking for donations to help the nonprofit museum bid on some of the items.
“Of course, we want these items to be visible at the Sherman House Museum for everyone to enjoy,” he wrote. “We are aware that if these items end up in the hands of a private collector, we may never see them again. It is disheartening to think that these amazing pieces of history are stored in a collector’s basement.” To do.”
One collector criticized this comment. Mr Johnson further apologized. Others objected to the sale of items related to such an important figure in American history and argued that they should be donated to a museum.
On May 1, Mr. Johnson again appealed for funds to bid for the sword, textbooks, family Bible, and literature of General Sherman's brother, U.S. Senator John Sherman of Ohio.
By Monday, the museum had received bids of about $100,000, about half of which came from donations, Johnson said in a phone interview.
“We are right at that tipping point,” he said. “If I had to guess, I think it doesn't look good for us. But we have to try.”