This is an autographed letter signed by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, who received recognition for his military strategy as well as criticism for his scorched earth policies during the Civil War. He wrote this letter from the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York to Surgeon D. W. Hartshorn on 14 May 1888, complimenting Hartshorn on his "noble work" during the Civil War and requesting him to prepare a talk for the annual meeting of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. Hartshorn served at the Battle of Shiloh with Sherman. The letter reads:

"It is a long time since i have seen you face to face, but I remember you well when you gave so unselfishly your time, skill and labor to befriend the poor wounded in the Civil War. Now as President of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, of which, I am pleased to note, you are a surviving member, I ask you to prepare a paper of your personal experiences from the time you resolved to enter the military service till the end to be read at Toledo Ohio Sept 15-16, 1888 at our next annual meeting. No book in my memory made a larger impression than the Diary of a Physician published in England some forty years ago. Our war surgeons have sometimes felt that in action Generals did not fully appreciate their patient, unseen, noble work - Now I invite you earnestly and seriously to help us. This duty you owe to your fellow Surgeons, and to us who had other work in mind and on hand, but I am sure no generous mind failed to appreciate your acts. Please answer me promptly that you will be on hand and ready - You have four months for preparation..."

The letter is written on lightly lined paper and signed "W. T. Sherman." Hartshorn did not prepare his talk until 1891, which was then presented at the Chicago meeting that year. Sherman's letter and Hartshorn's later talk were recorded in the proceedings of the Reunions of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee.

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Condition: B

Light toning with separations along the folds that have been closed with tape.