Sherman’s Recollections of California, 1846-1848, 1855-1857, from his Memoirs by William Tecumseh Sherman is a fascinating historical account of California during a tumultuous period of American history. Sherman provides detailed firsthand descriptions of his experiences in California during the Mexican-American War and the Gold Rush, offering valuable insights into the political, social, and economic landscape of the region.

Sherman’s writing is clear and engaging, and he brings to life the challenges and opportunities that California presented to early American settlers. His observations on the impact of gold on the region, the complexities of Native American relations, and the rapid growth of towns and cities in California are particularly enlightening.

Overall, Sherman’s Recollections of California is a valuable historical document that sheds light on a pivotal period in American history. Readers with an interest in the Gold Rush era, Manifest Destiny, or Western exploration will find Sherman’s account to be a compelling and informative read.

Book Description:
This librivox recording comprises three chapters from American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Memoirs. The chapters deal with a posting to California in his pre-Civil War military career in the years 1846-1848. While many of his colleagues saw action in the Mexican-American War, Sherman performed administrative duties in the captured territory of California. Along with fellow Lieutenants Henry Halleck and Edward Ord, Sherman embarked from New York on the 198-day journey around Cape Horn aboard the converted sloop USS Lexington. Due to the confined spaces aboard-ship, Sherman grew close to Halleck and Ord, and in his Memoirs references a hike with Halleck to the summit of Corcovado, notable as the future spot of the Cristo Redentor statue. Sherman and Ord reached the town of Yerba Buena, in California, two days before its name was changed to San Francisco. In 1848, Sherman accompanied the military governor of California, Col. Richard Barnes Mason, in the inspection that officially confirmed that gold had been discovered in the region, thus inaugurating the California Gold Rush. Sherman, along with Ord, assisted in surveys for the sub-divisions of the town that would become Sacramento. In 1853 Sherman resigned from the Army. In 1855-1857 he was in California as part of his bank duties. He returned to the Army in May 1861. Sherman was one of the premier generals fighting for the North in the Civil War. [Sherman] steadfastly refused to be drawn into politics and in 1875 published his Memoirs, one of the best-known first-hand accounts of the Civil War. British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general".