October 6, 1863: William T. Sherman to James B. McPherson

At he end of this military letter,  Sherman writes about the death of his nine-year-old son Willie from typhoid on October 3. Willie and the rest of Sherman’s family had been visiting him in Vicksburg and traveled with him to Memphis on the steamboat Atlantic, after which they planned to continue home. Willie took sick on the boat and died shortly after reaching Memphis.

Transcript [excerpt—p4 to end]

I will go out to Corinth in a couple of days and would much like to hear from Genl. Grant in the mean time. It would be to me a great service of satisfaction to know he was to be at Nashville.

I cannot bear to write you of the death of my boy. He must have been ill the night he staid at your House. but he had been so uniformly well that we little heard from him till he had been on board the Atlantic two days and then Medicine availed nothing. Though I mourn his death as you can understand I think of him with pain and grace commingled. I regard you as more than an ordinary man & sincere friend.

W. T. Sherman

Citation: William T. Sherman (1820-1891), autograph letter signed to James B. McPherson. Memphis, 6 October 1863. AMs 360/16