Father Tom Sherman

One of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s sons, Tom became a Jesuit priest after studying law and passing the bar exam. Like his father, Father Thomas suffered from depression. He was popular on the lecture circuit, speaking out against anti-Catholic laws and social injustice. He’s buried in the Jesuit Cemetery in Grand Coteau Louisiana, now the Jesuit Spirituality Center at Saint Charles College. The center apparently specializes in directed retreats based upon the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (the founder of the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits). General Sherman’s greatest battle was not a victory but rather an organized retreat, commanding the 5th Division at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. That night, under an oak tree, some say that Grant and Sherman had the conversation that changed the war. Sherman says it went like this:
Sherman: Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own today, haven’t we?
Grant puffed his cigar, and after a moment said: Yes. Lick ‘em tomorrow, though.
Sherman’s division led the successful counterattack on April 7.
After Grant became president, Sherman succeeded him in 1869 as General of the Army and served in the post until 1883. Sherman is considered the father of the modern Army, definitely the father of the Army’s educational system. Were it not for Sherman, Fort Leavenworth would merely be the home of the Army's Prison. Next to Tom Sherman is buried Father John Salter, the nephew of the Vice-President of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens.
Pictured: Father Tom's Dad, William T.