William T. Sherman: Special Field Order No. 15

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: Describe Sherman’s attitude toward African Americans. Was he simply a racist, a liberator, or something between the two? To what extent do you believe his attitude might have been similar to that of many northerners?
• 2.: Sherman opposed the employment of black troops. Compare this document with Thomas Morris Chester’s Civil War Dispatches and the events surrounding it. Do you believe that Sherman might have been convinced by Chester’s reports?
• 3.: In your opinion, did Sherman’s order represent genuine progress or just a symbolic victory for African Americans in the wake of the Civil War?
• 4.: Some northern abolitionists criticized Sherman’s order because it created segregated black communities. Others, however, saw it as a form of reparations for slavery. Which do you believe is the more defensible position?
• 5.: Throughout history, invading armies have attracted large numbers of camp followers, including prostitutes, destitute people, curious onlookers, and those who hoped to earn money or subsistence by performing services for the armies. What made the problem of camp followers of Sherman’s army unique?