Sherman (1820-1891) was appointed major general in charge of the Army of Tennessee in 1861 by Ulysses S. Grant. His assignment was to cut off supply lines to the Confederate troops. During his famous March to the Sea, he burned Atlanta, caused Savannah to surrender peacefully, and marched north to Charleston. Although he supported peace on generous terms, he fought ruthlessly to bring a swift end to the war.

After Lee's surrender at Appomattox, he helped to convince Lincoln to act charitably toward the South (although Lincoln's intentions were ignored by the Reconstruction Congress).

After Grant was elected president, Sherman became the commanding general of the U.S. Army. The Republican Party tried numerous times to convince Sherman to run for public office. In declining the party's proposed nomination for the presidency in 1884, he made the quotable statement: "If I nominated I will not run. If elected I will not serve."

The memorial is massive and contains a substantial number of figures, therefore involving participation from numerous artists. The designer died before it was completed.