W.T. Sherman: Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman (1875) and Henry V. Boynton: Sherman's Historical Raid: The Memoirs in the Light of the Record (1875)

General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891); photo courtesy Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

One of the most infamous military leaders of the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) is possibly best known for his 1864 "March to the Sea" during which he led his troops from the newly captured Atlanta to Savannah on the Atlantic coast. On the way, he decimated the surrounding countryside, effectively destroying the South's ability to continue the war. Sherman's military strategies are considered to be forerunners of modern warfare. In 1875, Sherman wrote his autobiography, published by Appleton as a two-volume set and including a map of his Civil War marches. Shortly after its publication, Henry Boynton, a reporter for the Cincinnati Gazette, published a critical refutation of much of Sherman's account. Using War Office records, Boynton methodically detailed discrepancies in the Sherman book. He even went so far as to use a binding nearly identical to Sherman's. Both of the books, shown below, are first editions.

Covers of W.T. Sherman: Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, 1875 and Henry V. Boynton: Sherman's Historical Raid: The Memoirs in the Light of the Record, 1875