The collection consists primarily of correspondence and invitations. The majority of the collection consists of documents written by W.T. Sherman during the course of his military career. Most of the documents are original although some photocopies and facsimiles are present. Folder 1 contains correspondence relating to Sherman’s early military service as a commissary officer in St. Louis and New Orleans, his years as a banker in the employment of Thomas Ewing, and his service as a commander during the Civil War. Among the correspondence in the collection is a letter from Sherman to Henry S. Turner dated May 18, 1856, which contains a description of the civil unrest in San Francisco surrounding the murder of James King, a San Francisco newspaper editor, and the actions of the Vigilance Committee, a local vigilante group. The folder also contains a letter from Sherman to J. Ewing, Washington, D.C., dated December 31, 1864, which describes his easy capture of the city of Savannah and the calm political and civil situation that exists in the city. The items from the postwar period contain descriptions of the military’s activities in the West among various Native American groups particularly in reference to the building of the railroad. Sherman’s letters to his friend and subordinate E.O.C. Ord contain advice and orders regarding the handling of Indian situations and some comments and references to the use of colored regiments. Sherman’s dislike of politics and his disillusionment with the political climate in the U.S. during the Reconstruction period is evident throughout the collection. During his service as commander of the armies of the United States (1869-1884), he frequently comments on political situations in Washington, particularly the frequent scandals during the U.S. Grant administration and the climate during the Harrison administration. In the years just before and after his retirement from the military, Sherman became involved in a number of friendships with popular actors and artists of the day. In the collection are letters to American stage actor Lawrence Barrett, sculptress Vinnie Ream, and portrait painter James Taylor. Folder 6 contains correspondence relating to Sherman’s involvement in the funding and placement of a statue of U.S. Grant in St. Louis. Sherman, who during this period moved from St. Louis to New York City, gives his opinion that the statue should be placed in Forest Park but believes that the residents of St. Louis who sit on the Grant Committee should make the final location decision. Letters explaining his inability to attend the statue’s unveiling in 1888 are also included. Items included in the collection from the years after Sherman’s death are letters by his son P.T. Sherman regarding Sherman’s real estate holdings and two printed accounts of Sherman’s days at the Louisiana Military Seminary written by a former colleague of Sherman.