Was William Tecumseh Sherman a hero or villain?
Each of the items in the left-hand column below belongs in the "He was a hero because..." category or the "He was a villain because..." category. Drag each item to the appropriate category. Some items belong in more than one category!
...he didn't kill any civilians on purpose.
...the way he conducted the war inflicted psychological torture on civilians.
...he hurt the Confederates' ability to fight the war when he destroyed the railroads, telegraphs, and factories in the city of Atlanta.
...he helped bring an end to the Civil War.
...he helped to re-unite the United States.
...he freed thousands of slaves.
...he ruined the southern economy and made it so the southerners had trouble rebuilding after the war.
...only 20% of his destruction was even necessary.
...he treated North Carolina very fairly since many people there did not support the Confederacy.
...he stole from women, children, and the elderly.
...he never punished his men when they caused extra destruction.
...he followed the rules of war for the time period.
...he managed to lead 60,000 troops for 300 miles with barely any supplies and hardly any deaths.
"He was a hero because..." - many people in the North
"He was a villain" - many people in the South