Phi Eta's History Blog

I listened to another video blog about the life of William Tecumseh Sherman before joining the military where he would eventually become famous. Living in a town called Leavenworth Kansas with his brother, Sherman attempted, and passed the bar exam and became a lawyer in what was then the Kansas territory. His first (and only) case involved a dispute over the ownership of a prize winning pig. Two neighbors claimed that the pig was theirs, and one of the farmers went to Sherman for help. After hearing the details of the situation, Sherman concluded that the case would be an easy one to settle, and decided to accompany his client to the court hearing. During the trial, Sherman faced a "defender of the peace" who proceeded to claim that Sherman's client was guilty of theft of the pig. He had with him a large number of law texts, and incorporated many quotes from these books into his statement, ultimately consuming over an hour of court time with his case. Sherman was not worried, however, because many of the citations made by the opposing lawyer had absolutely nothing to do with the case, and Sherman was confident that the judge would be able to recognize this fact. Unfortunately, the judge was in the twilight of his career, and had become so confused by the opposing lawyer's argument that he decided that the man must know what he was talking about, and sided against Sherman. Filled with disgust and contempt for the entire situation, Sherman returned to his office, told his partner that he was finished with law, and promptly joined a military school, where he would go on to great fame and fortune during the Civil War.