[ST. LOUIS, January
17, 1866]
I get a great many
commentaries on the past, and have no reason to object to the exalted examples
with which my name is connected. According to some enthusiasts, Hannibal,
Alexander, and Napoleon fall below my standard. Of course I always laugh at
these, and prefer to stand by the record, being perfectly satisfied with
Grant's résumé of the campaigns of 1864-5. Affectionately,
W. T. SHERMAN.
SOURCE: Rachel
Sherman Thorndike, Editor, The Sherman Letters: Correspondence Between
General and Senator Sherman from 1837 to 1891, p. 261
