General William T. Sherman’s wartime saber WITH military chest or trunk marked “Care Depot QR.MR. St. Louis. MO,” “W.T. Sherman,” and “Books.”

One of the most significant lots of Civil War artifacts offered in recent memory: General William T. Sherman’s wartime saber and military trunk. Offered directly by General Sherman’s descendants through his daughter, Maria "Minnie" Ewing Sherman Fitch (1851-1913), both the sword and chest were venerably preserved by generations of the Fitch-Sherman family until now.

General Sherman’s wartime saber is a rarely seen variant of a standard cavalry officer model produced by Christopher Roby of West Chelmsford, Massachusetts (Civil War Artillery & Cavalry Sabers, Thillman. 2001. pg. 320.). This “special order” saber features a 30 1/2 inch blade, and was likely personally chosen by Sherman to suit his taste. At the start of the war, Sherman was a mounted field-grade officer and this agile saber would have been an ideal weapon. Though it is a high-grade example appropriate for an officer of Sherman’s rank and pedigree, the saber is without question a weapon that was intended for actual combat. Sherman himself stated he did not wear a sword after he succeeded General Grant in command of the Western Theatre of the war in early 1864 (6 December 1881, William T. Sherman to Herbert E. Hill, Seth Kaller Inc.). Thus, we can definitively attribute the saber’s use to the period of Sherman’s service where he saw action in numerous engagements, including the Battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded twice and had three horses shot dead underneath him.

The saber was stored in the military trunk by the Fitch-Sherman family with other inherited relics related to General William T. Sherman. The trunk is a significant piece in its own right and its apparent description in one of General Sherman’s letters (described below) as containing his “swords worn by by me as Colonel, Brigadier General, and Major General [before his march to the sea]…” is valuable provenance. It is marked “Care Depot QR.MR. St. Louis. MO,” “W.T. Sherman” on its front and top, and “Books” on its sides. The trunk’s exact age has proved difficult to ascertain, but various maker’s marks on its iron hinges and other clues seem to indicate its production and original use to sometime between 1860-1875.

The saber and trunk's provenance is further enhanced by two, known letters (not included) that seemingly record their original ownership and chain-of-ownership. The first was written to General Sherman in 1878 from his wife, Ellen, regarding the inheritance of his valued possessions: “Judge Reber called and read from a letter he had from you to the effect that you wished him to take to his house…guns and the swords you wore in battle…[I] shall keep the swords, as I have hitherto kept them, as I have kept your wedding suit and the hat you wore at Shiloh and other relics innumerable…for your children and mine and for our children’s children.” Ellen continues: “Judge Reber is older than you are and has no home in which to store anything- Mag told me last Sunday week that she had no place to put a trunk- if it be the mere custody, Mr. Fitch is far more competent on every account” (5 July 1878, Ellen Sherman to William T. Sherman, University of Notre Dame Archives). “Mr. Fitch” is undoubtedly Thomas William Fitch (1843-1915), her son-in-law, and the direct ancestor of the Fitch-Sherman family. The second letter, written in 1881 by General Sherman, is in response to a request made for him to loan a sword he “wore during the famous march to the sea.” Sherman explains to the sender that he did not wear any sword during the march or after he succeeded General Grant in command of the Western Armies, but does state he owns “in some old chest at St. Louis swords worn by by me as Colonel, Brigadier General, and Major General [before his march to the sea]…” (6 December 1881, William T. Sherman to Herbert E. Hill, Seth Kaller Inc.).

We will spare the reader an extensive biography of General William T. Sherman here, as his name is well-known to all students of history. One of the most consequential generals of the Civil War, Sherman’s relentless campaigns reshaped the course of the conflict and, indeed, modern warfare. Coiner of the phrase “War is hell,” his application of “scorched earth” warfare inflicted strategic and psychological blows that shattered southern morale. In his memoirs, Sherman would write “My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us.” General Sherman’s capture of the city of Atlanta is widely credited as securing Abraham Lincoln’s reelection in 1864, ensuring the war would continue, eventual Union victory, and the universal emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Pragmatic and unassuming, Sherman believed in good works and much of his post-war life was spent helping veterans who served under his command. During the Reconstruction Era, he championed efforts to rebuild and reunify a fractured nation. However, he never minced words when discussing the war, once stating: “There are such things as Abstract Right and Abstract Wrong, and when History is written, human actions must take their place in one or the other category. We claim that, in the great Civil War, we of the National Union Army were right, and our adversaries wrong; and no special pleading, no excuses, no personal motives, however pure and specious, can change this verdict of the war…we should [never] tear from the history of our country the pages which record the great events from 1860 to 1865; for they should stand there forever as a warning to those who come after us - who, from passion, self-interest, or any human cause or pretext whatever, may undertake to destroy this Government by violence."

These are a historically significant pair of items with impeccable provenance that deserve a prominent home.

[William Tecumseh Sherman, William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Robert E. Lee, Union, Confederate, American Military, George Washington, Emancipation, Slavery, Slave, Abolitionist, Abolition, Frederick Douglass, John Brown]