‘War is Hell’ According to William Tecumseh Sherman
General William Tecumseh Sherman on his historic march
‘War is Hell’, is a statement generally attributed to the famous Civil War general, William Tecumseh Sherman.
You’d never know it by looking at his sculpture at Grand Army Plaza just south of Central Park.
Covered in 23.75 karat gold leaf (along with several layers of polyurethane to keep it from corroding) Sherman looks like he’s leading a parade.
The winged Victory statue leading him forward is in the likeness of Harriette Anderson, a freed slave from Georgia–a sharp reminder of what the Civil War was about.
There’s also a pine branch under his horse’s feet, symbolizing Georgia, where Sherman did, in fact, create hell for all those in his path.
It’s no wonder that Christopher Middleton, the main character in my young adult adventure series, Central Park Story, stops to discuss the battle that is being waged at his school with such a battle-hardened figure!
